Open Collections

UBC Faculty Research and Publications

Influence and Mechanisms of Action of Environmental Stimuli on Work Near and Above the Severe Domain Boundary (Critical Power) Richard, Normand A.; Koehle, Michael

Abstract

The critical power (CP) concept represents the uppermost rate of steady state aerobic metabolism during work. Work above CP is limited by a fixed capacity (W′) with exercise intensity being an accelerant of its depletion rate. Exercise at CP is a considerable insult to homeostasis and any work done above it will rapidly become intolerable. Humans live and exercise in situations of hypoxia, heat, cold and air pollution all of which impose a new environmental stress in addition to that of exercise. Hypoxia disrupts the oxygen cascade and consequently aerobic energy production, whereas heat impacts the circulatory system’s ability to solely support exercise performance. Cold lowers efficiency and increases the metabolic cost of exercise, whereas air pollution negatively impacts the respiratory system. This review will examine the effects imposed by environmental conditions on CP and W′ and describe the key physiological mechanisms which are affected by the environment. Graphical Abstract

Item Metadata

Title
Influence and Mechanisms of Action of Environmental Stimuli on Work Near and Above the Severe Domain Boundary (Critical Power)
Creator
Richard, Normand A.; Koehle, Michael
Contributor
University of British Columbia. Allan McGavin Sports Medicine Clinic
Publisher
Springer International Publishing
Date Issued
2022-03-28
Description
The critical power (CP) concept represents the uppermost rate of steady state aerobic metabolism during work. Work above CP is limited by a fixed capacity (W′) with exercise intensity being an accelerant of its depletion rate. Exercise at CP is a considerable insult to homeostasis and any work done above it will rapidly become intolerable. Humans live and exercise in situations of hypoxia, heat, cold and air pollution all of which impose a new environmental stress in addition to that of exercise. Hypoxia disrupts the oxygen cascade and consequently aerobic energy production, whereas heat impacts the circulatory system’s ability to solely support exercise performance. Cold lowers efficiency and increases the metabolic cost of exercise, whereas air pollution negatively impacts the respiratory system. This review will examine the effects imposed by environmental conditions on CP and W′ and describe the key physiological mechanisms which are affected by the environment. Graphical Abstract
Subject
Critical power; Severe domain; Exercise; Hypoxia; Heat; Cold; Air pollution
Genre
Article
Type
Text
Language
eng
Date Available
2022-04-22
Provider
Vancouver : University of British Columbia Library
Rights
Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0)
DOI
10.14288/1.0412968
URI
http://hdl.handle.net/2429/81333
Affiliation
Education, Faculty of; Non UBC; Kinesiology, School of
Citation
Sports Medicine - Open. 2022 Mar 28;8(1):42
Publisher DOI
10.1186/s40798-022-00430-1
Peer Review Status
Reviewed
Scholarly Level
Faculty; Researcher
Copyright Holder
The Author(s)
Rights URI
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
Aggregated Source Repository
DSpace

Item Media

Item Citations and Data

Rights

Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0)