PHYSIOLOGY

It makes up 21% of our atmosphere but getting it to where our bodies need it most is a complicated biological process. Rowing physiologist Mark Homer investigates.

Words: Dr Mark Homer

Breathing is something that we all do over 17,000 times per day, suggesting that it plays a fairly important role in keeping us alive. The air we breathe provides us with oxygen, and with the exception of diving mammals, most living species are unable to produce the energy required to function after approximately three minutes without it, following the exhaustion of all other options. This is before we consider the increased demands of physical exercise and how to meet them. I will attempt to explain how we extract oxygen from the atmosphere and deliver it to the far corners of our bodies to meet the demands of training, racing and recovering. This should help you understand why bending over double and gasping for air at the end of a session is (unfortunately) so necessary. Part One will cover the work done by the lungs and their ability to draw in air and transport oxygen to the blood, while Part Two (in our next issue) will discuss how the blood delivers its bounty to the muscle, via the heart, for consumption and energy production.