Heart Rate Responses to Exercise
Category: Fitness · 4-page printable PDF · Ages 9-10 · Free for ConnectedPE members
A classic exercise-physiology laboratory worksheet investigating how heart rate responds to different workloads. Four subjects record heart rate across two set workloads — 300 kpm and 600 kpm — over six-minute intervals plus a three-minute recovery, and graph the full response curves.
The protocol teaches the shape of cardiovascular response: the initial climb, the steady-state plateau where supply meets demand, the higher plateau at higher workload, and the recovery curve back toward resting. Students identify steady-state and maximal-effort responses in their own data and explain the physiological link between exercise intensity and oxygen demand.
Four pages including data tables and graphing, designed for Year 9–10 and senior-secondary exercise physiology. Runs on cycle ergometers or any repeatable workload. The graphing and analysis make it a natural cross-over with Maths — and its data feeds beautifully into the VO₂max and Circuit Training labs in the same series.
What students learn
Students measure and graph heart rate responses across different exercise workloads, identify steady-state and maximal-effort responses, and explain the physiological link between exercise intensity and oxygen demand.
Topics: Exercise Physiology, Heart Rate, Lab Activity, Cardiovascular, Senior Secondary
Related PE resources
- Fitness Tests — The eBook — Ages 10-16
- Fitness Tests from Home — Ages 10-16
- Exercise Task Cards — Ages 8-12, 10-16
- Stretch It — The eBook — Ages 8-12, 10-16
- Work It — The eBook — Ages 8-12, 10-16