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Core 2: Factors affecting performance

How does the body respond to aerobic training?

Ventilation rates

Ventilation rates refer to the total amount of air passing in and out of the lungs within a minute. The ventilation rate can be established by multiplying the number of breaths per minute by the amount of air breathed in and out with each breath.

Ventilation rate =
No. of breaths per minute x volume of air per breath (litres per minute)

During exercise an athlete breathes more rapidly. This is because ventilation rates automatically increase with the amount of oxygen demanded by the working muscles.

How do ventilation rates change as a result of training?

The graph below shows the effect of exercise on ventilation for a trained and an untrained individual performing at maximal effort. The graph shows ventilation response (in litres per minute) over time.

Ventilation volume graph

Hand on mouse

Student activity
  1. What is the ventilation rate of the trained and untrained athlete at:
    • 0 minutes
    • 1 minute
    • 4 minutes
    • +1 minute?


    Give your answer in litres per minute.

  2. What does this graph tell us about the effect of training on ventilation rate? Give an explanation for this.

  3. How does ventilation rate affect performance?

Check your answers here. Push button

Back to Physiological adaptations to aerobic training


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