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EnglandPhysical Education

Applied anatomy and physiology (Component 01)

5 dot points across 5 inquiry questions. Click any dot point for a focused answer with worked past exam questions where available.

How does the cardiovascular system respond to exercise to deliver oxygen to the muscles?

The cardiac cycle, the regulation of heart rate, cardiac output and the cardiovascular drift, venous return mechanisms, and the redistribution of blood flow during exercise.
A focused answer to OCR A-Level PE on the cardiovascular system: the cardiac cycle and conduction, neural and hormonal control of heart rate, cardiac output and its calculation, the venous return mechanisms, the Starling effect, and the redistribution of blood flow (the vascular shunt) during exercise.
11 min answer →

How do the three energy systems resynthesise ATP for different sporting intensities?

ATP and its resynthesis by the ATP-PC, glycolytic and aerobic systems, their fuels, sites, by-products, ATP yield and duration, and the energy continuum across sporting activities.
A focused answer to OCR A-Level PE on energy systems: ATP as the energy currency, the three systems that resynthesise it (ATP-PC, anaerobic glycolytic and aerobic), each with its fuel, site, by-products, ATP yield and duration, and how the energy continuum and OBLA explain the system used in different sports.
11 min answer →

How does the nervous system recruit muscle fibres to control force in sport?

The motor unit and the all-or-none law, the recruitment of motor units and wave summation to grade force, and the proprioceptors and reflexes that control movement and protect muscle.
A focused answer to OCR A-Level PE on the neuromuscular system: the structure of a motor unit, the all-or-none law, the recruitment of motor units and wave (spatial and temporal) summation to grade force, and the muscle spindles, Golgi tendon organs and the stretch reflex used in PNF stretching.
9 min answer →

How does the respiratory system take in oxygen and exchange gases during exercise?

The mechanics of breathing, lung volumes and minute ventilation, gaseous exchange at the alveoli and muscles by diffusion, and the regulation of breathing during exercise.
A focused answer to OCR A-Level PE on the respiratory system: the mechanics of inspiration and expiration, tidal volume and minute ventilation, gaseous exchange at the alveoli and muscle by diffusion down partial-pressure gradients, the oxyhaemoglobin dissociation curve and the Bohr shift, and the neural and chemical control of breathing.
10 min answer →

How do the joints, muscles and fibre types produce and control movement in sport?

Joint types and movements, the antagonistic muscle action that produces them, muscle contraction types, and the three muscle fibre types with their roles in sport.
A focused answer to OCR A-Level PE on the skeletal and muscular systems: the synovial joints and their movements, antagonistic muscle action with agonist, antagonist and fixator, the three contraction types, and the structure and roles of the three muscle fibre types.
10 min answer →