Outline flexibility training for a gymnast.

Describe how heart rate can be used to monitor exercise intensity.

Outline mechanisms the gymnast’s body uses in response to damage from a fall off the beam.

Explain the functions of the cerebellum and the parietal lobe for a gymnastic routine.

The gymnast is performing a routine on the beam. Explain the influence of the position of the centre of mass on stability.

stretching activities eg static/dynamic/ballistic/PNF stretches;

Training heart rate range/zone:
60–80 % max HR is required to elicit improvements in aerobic capacity;

max HR calculated 220–age;

HR & oxygen uptake relationship:
regardless of age/sex or fitness the (linear) relationship between percentage max HR & percentage max oxygen uptake is maintained;

Training intensity can be expressed as a relative intensity of a person’s VO₂max/max HR:
activities with smaller muscle mass eg arm ergometry percentage max HR may be affected;

Karvonen method:
Karvonen method calculates the heart rate reserve (HRR);

HRR=maximal heart rate–resting heart rate;

Once HRR has be calculated, the next step is to calculate target heart rate (THR);

THR = (HRR x exercise intensity) + resting HR;

Skin:
provides a barrier from physical or chemical damage to the internal organs/invasion from pathogens/loss of excess water;

epithelial linings have cilia which help to reduce foreign bodies entering the body;

mucosal secretions eg those found in the respiratory tract which trap bacteria and small particles;

pH of bodily fluids help to destroy pathogens eg low pH within the stomach;

Hormones and other soluble factors:
white blood cells that fight disease eg phagocytes consume germs and dead/damaged cells;

inflammation when tissues are injured and fluids are released from the blood to cause swelling (isolate the foreign substance);

clotting by platelets in the blood help to provide a protective layer around a wound/damage to tissue;

an antibody is a protein produced by the body's immune system when it detects harmful substances, called antigens;

B lymphocytes produce antibodies & T lymphocytes attack antigens directly;

Cerebellum:
evaluates movements initiated by the cerebrum eg evaluating the execution of a forward roll;

helps to smooth and coordinate sequences of skeletal muscle contractions to produce fluid movements, eg smooths the actions of skills linked together in the routine;

regulates posture and balance through sensory information, eg when performing a bridge;

Parietal lobe:
determine the orientation of one object to another/sense the relationship of one body part to another eg location of body parts in relation to each other;

determine the shape and texture of an object without looking at it eg balls, hoops and ribbons during rhythmic gymnastics;

storage of memories of past experiences eg allowing the performer to compare current sensations such as kinesthetics of a move with a previous experience;

Award [3] max per region.

in order to move the gymnast will move their centre of mass closer to the edge of their base of support;

as the body moves the COM repositions itself to represent the point where the mass is concentrated;

COM can move outside of the body depending on the type of position;

to maintain balance the gymnast must keep their COM/line of gravity above the base of support;

a gymnast can lower their COM to increase their stability on the beam;

by widening the base of support/adding more points of contact the COM/line is more likely to remain balanced;

Generally answered well.

Many candidates struggled with this question. Candidates were unable to articulate how heart rate can monitor intensity.

Many candidates struggled with this question. The most frequent responses was inflammation and clotting, with very few candidates offering more.

Many candidates were able to provide general statements about the two areas of the brain. However they struggled to appropriately link to the context of the sport.

Many candidates struggled with this question. Candidates were able to identify that COM moved and that if moved out of the body made the gymnast unbalanced. However, candidates were unable link this stability or the relationship with the base of support.