Physiology, Metabolic and Biomolecular Functions of Physical Exercise

This course includes lectures, seminars, and practical activities, and aims to provide students with knowledge and understanding of response and adaptation to exercise, through a multidisciplinary program. To this end, the course introduces the students to the muscle physiology, exploring the physiological mechanisms induced by the competitive or recreational training and the cardiovascular adaptations to training. In particular, the factors limiting the maximum aerobic power, including ventilatory, diffusive, convective, and peripheral aspects will be analysed and discussed. The course provides an overview of the metabolic and endocrine responses to exercise and explores biochemical /molecular approaches to follow and to optimise training responses and adaptation.

Upon successful completion of this course, students should be able to comprehend the physiological, cardiovascular, hormonal, metabolic, and molecular responses to different types of exercise. Moreover, students should be able to recognize biochemical/molecular biomarkers to follow and optimise the effects of training.