Blood Pressure
The function of the heart is to circulate blood around the body. The heart comprises of four chambers:
- Right Atrium
- Left Atrium
- Right Ventricle
- Left Ventricle
Functionally the heart comprises of two pumps:
- The right atrium receives blood from the body (de-oxygenated blood) and the right ventricle pumps it into the lungs for aeration (removal of carbon dioxide and add oxygen).
- The left atrium receives the oxygenated blood from the lungs and the left ventricle pumps it around the body.
Blood Pressure
The cardiac cycle (heartbeat) consists of cardiac muscle contraction (systole) and cardiac muscle relaxation (diastole).
Blood pressure represents the force (pressure) exerted by blood against the arterial walls during a cardiac cycle. Systolic blood pressure, the higher of the two pressure measurements, occurs during ventricular contraction (systole) as the heart pumps blood into the aorta.
After systole, the ventricles relax (diastole), arterial pressure declines and the heart refills with blood. The lowest pressure reached during ventricular relaxation represents the diastolic blood pressure.
Normal systolic blood pressure in an adult varies between 110 and 140 mm Hg, and diastolic pressure varies between 60 and 90 mm Hg.
Blood Pressure Classification
| Systolic(mm Hg) | Diastolic(mm Hg) | Classification |
| <130 | <85 | Normal |
| 130-139 | 85-89 | High Normal |
| 140-159 | 90-99 | Hypertension (stage 1) |
| 160-179 | 100-109 | Moderate Hypertension (stage 2) |
| 180-209 | 110-119 | Severe Hypertension (stage 3) |
| >209 | >119 | Very Severe Hypertension (stage 4) |
Heart Rate
The resting heart rate for the average person is between 70 and 90 beats per minute (bpm). The term tachycardia is applied to a rapid heart rate (over 100 bpm) and the term bradycardia indicates a slow heart rate (less than 50 bpm). Endurance athletes may have a resting heart rate of less than 50 bpm.
Cardiac Output
This is the amount of blood pumped from your heart and is calculated by multiplying heart rate by stroke volume (the amount of blood ejected by the heart in each beat). An athlete will have a lower resting heart rate and a larger stroke volume than a non-athlete. The cardiac output for an athlete is approx. 35 litres while that for the non-athlete is 22 litres.
Associated Pages
The following Sports Coach pages should be read in conjunction with this page:
- Articles on Physiology
- Body Fat
- Body Type
- Energy Pathways
- Ideal Weight
- Lactic Acid
- Maximum Heart Rate
- Movement Analysis
- Muscle Types
- Protein
- Range of Movement
- Vitamins
- VO2 max
Associated Books
The following books provide more information related to this topic:
- Principles of Anatomy and Physiology, G.J. Tortora et al., ISBN 0 06 046704 5
- Strength Training Anatomy, F. Delavier, ISBN 0 7360 4185 0
- Atlas of Skeletal Muscles, R.J. Stone et al., ISBN 0 697 13790 2
- The Muscle Book, P. Blakey, ISBN 1 873017 00 6
- Advanced Studies in Physical Education and Sport, P Beashel et al., ISBN 0 17 4482345
- Physical Education and the Study of Sport, B. Davis et al., ISBN 0 7234 31752
- Essentials of Exercise Physiology, W.D. McArdle et al., ISBN 0 683 30507 7
- Physical Education and Sport Studies, D. Roscoe et al., ISBN 1 901424 20 0
- The World of Sport Examined, P. Beashel et al., ISBN 0 17 438719 9
- Advanced PE for Edexcel, F. Galligan et al., ISBN 0 435 50643 9
- Examining Physical Education, K. Bizley, ISBN 0 435 50660 9
- Sport and PE, K Wesson et al., ISBN 0 340 683821
- PE for you, J. Honeybourne, ISBN 0 7487 3277 2