PHYSIOLOGICAL FACTORS AFFECTING
PERFORMANCE EXAM | QUESTION AND
ANSWER | VERIFIED QUESTION AND ANSWER
|GRADED A+ | LATEST EXAM 2025/2026
What is fatigue in the context of exercise physiology?
Inability to maintain power output or force during repeated muscle contractions.
What are the two main types of fatigue?
Central fatigue and peripheral fatigue.
What does central fatigue involve?
It involves the central nervous system, including the psyche/brain and spinal cord.
What are some sites of peripheral fatigue?
Peripheral nerves, muscle sarcolemma, transverse tubular system, Ca++ release,
actin-myosin interaction, and cross-bridge tension.
What are the advantages of studying muscle fatigue in vivo?
All physiological mechanisms are present, and fatigue can be central or peripheral.
What are the disadvantages of studying muscle fatigue in vivo?
Mixture of fiber types, complex activation patterns, and limited experimental
interventions.
What is a key advantage of studying isolated muscle?
Central fatigue is eliminated.
What are some disadvantages of studying isolated muscle?
Mixture of fiber types and biased mechanisms of fatigue due to extracellular
gradients.
What is a primary advantage of studying isolated single fibers?
, Only one fiber type is present, allowing for clear correlation of force and other
changes.
What is a disadvantage of studying isolated single fibers?
The environment is different from in vivo conditions, which may affect results.
What does skinned fiber research allow scientists to study?
Myofibrillar properties, SR release and uptake, and metabolic changes associated
with fatigue.
What is central fatigue characterized by?
Reductions in motor units activated and motor unit firing frequency.
How can CNS arousal affect fatigue?
It can facilitate motor unit recruitment and increase motivation.
What is the 'Central Governor' model?
It suggests that the conscious and subconscious brain regulates fatigue, rather than
just the spinal cord or motor units.
What role does the neuromuscular junction play in fatigue?
It is not considered a site of fatigue.
How can training improve peripheral fatigue?
By enhancing the Na+/K+ pump's ability to maintain action potential amplitude
and frequency.
What factors influence cross-bridge cycling and tension development?
Arrangement of actin and myosin, Ca++ binding to troponin, and ATP availability.
What contributes to fatigue related to H+ concentration?
High H+ concentration can reduce force per cross-bridge and inhibit Ca++ release
from the sarcoplasmic reticulum.
What happens during an imbalance between ATP requirements and ATP
generating capacity?
PERFORMANCE EXAM | QUESTION AND
ANSWER | VERIFIED QUESTION AND ANSWER
|GRADED A+ | LATEST EXAM 2025/2026
What is fatigue in the context of exercise physiology?
Inability to maintain power output or force during repeated muscle contractions.
What are the two main types of fatigue?
Central fatigue and peripheral fatigue.
What does central fatigue involve?
It involves the central nervous system, including the psyche/brain and spinal cord.
What are some sites of peripheral fatigue?
Peripheral nerves, muscle sarcolemma, transverse tubular system, Ca++ release,
actin-myosin interaction, and cross-bridge tension.
What are the advantages of studying muscle fatigue in vivo?
All physiological mechanisms are present, and fatigue can be central or peripheral.
What are the disadvantages of studying muscle fatigue in vivo?
Mixture of fiber types, complex activation patterns, and limited experimental
interventions.
What is a key advantage of studying isolated muscle?
Central fatigue is eliminated.
What are some disadvantages of studying isolated muscle?
Mixture of fiber types and biased mechanisms of fatigue due to extracellular
gradients.
What is a primary advantage of studying isolated single fibers?
, Only one fiber type is present, allowing for clear correlation of force and other
changes.
What is a disadvantage of studying isolated single fibers?
The environment is different from in vivo conditions, which may affect results.
What does skinned fiber research allow scientists to study?
Myofibrillar properties, SR release and uptake, and metabolic changes associated
with fatigue.
What is central fatigue characterized by?
Reductions in motor units activated and motor unit firing frequency.
How can CNS arousal affect fatigue?
It can facilitate motor unit recruitment and increase motivation.
What is the 'Central Governor' model?
It suggests that the conscious and subconscious brain regulates fatigue, rather than
just the spinal cord or motor units.
What role does the neuromuscular junction play in fatigue?
It is not considered a site of fatigue.
How can training improve peripheral fatigue?
By enhancing the Na+/K+ pump's ability to maintain action potential amplitude
and frequency.
What factors influence cross-bridge cycling and tension development?
Arrangement of actin and myosin, Ca++ binding to troponin, and ATP availability.
What contributes to fatigue related to H+ concentration?
High H+ concentration can reduce force per cross-bridge and inhibit Ca++ release
from the sarcoplasmic reticulum.
What happens during an imbalance between ATP requirements and ATP
generating capacity?
