Exercise Physiology

Exercise Physiology is the study of how exercise alters the structure and function of the human body and the
identification of physiological mechanisms underlying physical activity. It is a discipline involving the comprehensive
delivery of professional services concerned with the analysis, improvement, and maintenance of health and fitness,
rehabilitation of heart disease and other chronic diseases or disabilities, and the guidance and counsel of athletes and
others interested in athletics, sports training, and human adaptability to acute and chronic exercise. Exercise physiology
is essentially concerned with the assessment of how the body responds to single or repeated bouts of exercise in
response to the demands of a particular sport.


Exercise represents one the highest levels of extreme stresses to which the body can be exposed. The concepts of
exercise physiology are often applied in the training of individuals to maximize their physical potential. Exercise
physiology is a rapidly evolving field that is becoming increasingly important in the delivery of health care. The study of
exercise physiology may include the health benefits of exercise, factors that relate to athletic performance, such as the
assessment of physiological capacities (aerobic and anaerobic power, muscular strength and endurance), modulators of
performance (nutrition, environmental factors, drugs), and the effects of specific training regimens.