Aerobic vs Anerobic Exercise Lab

Introduction

Aerobic exercises are exercises that can be done continually for extended periods. Anerobic exercises are ones that involve short bursts of intense activity. Generally aerobic exercise is better for building endurance while anerobic exercise is better for building muscle, and strength. Aerobic means “with oxygen” and uses the air we breath to produce energy. With anerobic exercise you require energy more quickly than it can be yielded by aerobic means can provide, so limited stores of energy are used, for example from within your muscles. This lab will examine the different effects of each type of exercise on our heart rates and respirations.

Prelab Questions

1. What are 3 examples of aerobic exercises?

2. What are 3 examples of anerobic exercises?

3. What type of exercise do you predict will raise respirations and heart rate higher? Why?

4. Roughly how long can and anerobic exercise be maintained? Aerobic?

Equipment list

• 2 Hydro bikes (or bicycles on land)
• Pulse oximeters
• E-bike with speedometer
• Lake with buoys and open areas for jogging, and steep surfaces such as a boat ramp. Stairs can also be used, as well as grassy areas on campus.

Methods

Collect a resting heart rate and respiration rate: place a pulse oximeter on your finger to get your heart rate and have a partner count your respirations.

Pulse:

Respirations:

Activity 1: Hydro biking

Bike out to the buoy and back with a controlled sustainable pace then immediately recheck and record your heart rate and respirations

Hypothesis: Heart rate and respiration rate will increase for a short time before returning to normal.

Pulse:

Respirations:

Activity 2: Sprinting

Sprint as quickly as possible to a destination and back along a flat area then record your heart rate and respirations

Hypothesis: Heart rate and respirations will increase more significantly and for a longer period of time before returning to normal

Pulse:

Respirations:

Activity 3: Run/jog uphill

Run quickly to a destination uphill then record your heart rate and respirations

Pulse:

Respirations:

Hypothesis: Heart rate and respirations will increase even more significantly and for a longer period of time before returning to normal, compared to the flat sprinting

Activity 4: Dog Sprint

Record the resting heart rate of the dog then have it sprint a short distance while recording its speed with an e-bike. Then count and record its respirations and heart rate.

Pulse:

Respirations:

Hypothesis: Compared to humans, dogs will be in better shape, illustrated with smaller increases in heart rate and breathing rate over the same distance at roughly the same speed. May vary with lifestyles.

Activity 5: Human vs. dog

Have a couple of the fastest runners sprint the same distance while recording their speed. Record the speed of the runners and the speeds of the dogs. Attempt to record video of the runners as they pass, particularly filming striding legs.

Dog speed:

Runner speed:

Hypothesis: Human runners will have much greater stride length (and much longer legs); dogs will have much faster strides/minute.

Post Lab Questions

1. Did the hydro bike or sprinting rase the heart rate and breathing more? Explain.

2. Did heart rate and respirations always change together? Why or why not.

3. Was it harder to run uphill or on a flat surface? Why?

4. Did the dogs’ respirations and heart rates raise similarly to humans? Why or why not?

5. Could the dogs outrun the humans? Why or why not?

6. Sketch the class graph for heart rate after aerobic and anaerobic exercise.