Overview The respiratory system must be able to respond to increases in physiologic demand under various conditions. Particularly important is the ability to meet the demands that occur with exercise. As workloads increase there is a proportional increase in oxygen uptake by the body. The metabolic processes associated with exercise result in additional demands being placed on the respiratory system. Integration with other systems.
Exercise is an integrated response involving several organ systems.
The amount of exercise which can be achieved can be limited by any of the systems involved. The bioenergetic demands of the system. With increasing workload it is necessary that sufficient oxygen and other substrates are delivered to the muscles carrying out the work. Likewise it is necessary to provide a means of excreting increasing amounts of CO 2 . In order for muscles to accomplish more work, bioenergetic conversion of chemical energy stored as glucose to kinetic energy is needed.