STAPS Physiology Course

Lesson 1 • Levels of Biological Organization

Covers the hierarchy from atoms to organism, linking structural levels to physiological function. Provides the conceptual scaffold for all subsequent system-level study.

Lesson 2 • Body Fluid Compartments

Describes intracellular and extracellular fluid volumes, composition, and exchange. Establishes fluid balance concepts critical for later cardiovascular and renal chapters.

Lesson 3 • Homeostasis and Feedback Control

Defines negative and positive feedback loops and their role in maintaining physiological stability. Students apply feedback concepts to real regulatory examples.

Lesson 1 • Excitation-Contraction Coupling

Traces the signal pathway from motor neuron firing to cross-bridge cycling in muscle fibers. Integrates neuromuscular junction physiology with contractile mechanics.

Lesson 2 • Neuronal Signaling Mechanisms

Covers resting membrane potential, action potential generation, and propagation along axons. Grounds students in electrical signaling before addressing muscle activation.

Lesson 3 • Skeletal Muscle Microstructure

Details sarcomere organization, myofilament proteins, and the structural basis of contraction. Prepares students to understand the sliding filament mechanism.

Lesson 4 • Synaptic Transmission

Explains neurotransmitter release, receptor binding, and postsynaptic potentials at chemical synapses. Links neural communication to downstream muscle and organ responses.

Lesson 1 • Metabolic Regulation During Exercise

Examines hormonal and enzymatic control of fuel selection across exercise intensities. Students predict metabolic responses to varied training stimuli.

Lesson 2 • Glycolysis and Anaerobic Pathways

Traces glucose catabolism through glycolysis and lactate production under low-oxygen conditions. Explains why anaerobic pathways dominate high-intensity, short-duration exercise.

Lesson 3 • Fat and Protein Metabolism

Covers lipolysis, beta-oxidation, and amino acid catabolism as fuel sources during prolonged exercise. Connects substrate selection to exercise intensity and duration.

Lesson 4 • Oxidative Phosphorylation and the Krebs Cycle

Details acetyl-CoA entry, Krebs cycle reactions, and electron transport chain ATP synthesis. Quantifies aerobic ATP yield relative to anaerobic pathways.

Lesson 1 • Cardiovascular Adaptations to Training

Describes structural and functional cardiac changes from endurance and resistance training. Students distinguish athlete's heart from pathological hypertrophy.

Lesson 2 • Oxygen Delivery and Extraction

Covers hemoglobin oxygen binding, the Fick principle, and arteriovenous oxygen difference. Quantifies how muscles extract oxygen during graded exercise.

Lesson 3 • Cardiac Output and Its Determinants

Defines cardiac output as the product of heart rate and stroke volume and their regulatory factors. Links autonomic control to exercise-induced cardiac output increases.

Lesson 4 • Cardiac Anatomy and Electrical Activity

Reviews heart chambers, valves, and the conduction system generating coordinated contraction. Provides structural context for understanding cardiac output regulation.

Lesson 1 • Ventilatory Control During Exercise

Examines central and peripheral chemoreceptor roles in matching ventilation to metabolic demand. Students identify ventilatory threshold and its training implications.

Lesson 2 • Alveolar Gas Exchange

Explains partial pressure gradients driving O2 and CO2 diffusion across the alveolar membrane. Connects diffusion capacity to exercise-induced increases in cardiac output.

Lesson 3 • Blood Gas Transport

Details oxygen carriage by hemoglobin and CO2 transport as bicarbonate and carbamino compounds. Links blood gas chemistry to acid-base balance during intense exercise.

Lesson 4 • Respiratory Limitations in Sport

Analyzes exercise-induced bronchoconstriction, altitude hypoxia, and ventilatory fatigue as performance limiters. Applies respiratory physiology to sport-specific scenarios.

Lesson 1 • Insulin, Glucagon, and Fuel Regulation

Analyzes insulin and glucagon interplay in maintaining blood glucose during fasting and exercise. Students predict glycemic responses to different exercise protocols.

Lesson 2 • Catecholamines and the Sympathoadrenal Axis

Explains epinephrine and norepinephrine release, target organ effects, and metabolic roles during exercise. Links sympathoadrenal activation to cardiovascular and metabolic responses.

Lesson 3 • Anabolic Hormones and Muscle Adaptation

Covers testosterone, growth hormone, and IGF-1 roles in muscle protein synthesis and hypertrophy. Connects resistance exercise stimuli to anabolic hormonal cascades.

Lesson 4 • Cortisol, Stress, and Overtraining

Examines cortisol's catabolic and immunosuppressive roles and its elevation in overtraining syndrome. Applies hormonal monitoring concepts to athlete health management.

Lesson 1 • Anaerobic Power and Capacity Tests

Presents Wingate, force-velocity, and repeated sprint protocols for anaerobic assessment. Connects test outputs to sport-specific power and fatigue profiles.

Lesson 2 • Muscular Strength and Endurance Testing

Covers one-repetition maximum, isokinetic dynamometry, and field-based strength tests. Provides standardized methods for tracking neuromuscular adaptations.

Lesson 3 • Maximal Oxygen Uptake Testing

Covers graded exercise test protocols, criteria for VO2max, and equipment calibration procedures. Establishes VO2max as the gold-standard aerobic capacity measure.

Lesson 4 • Lactate Threshold Assessment

Explains blood lactate sampling methods, threshold identification models, and training zone derivation. Links lactate kinetics to endurance performance prediction.

Lesson 1 • Periodization Models and Load Management

Compares linear, undulating, and block periodization models and their physiological rationale. Students apply load management metrics to prevent overtraining.

Lesson 2 • Concurrent Training and Interference Effects

Analyzes molecular interference between aerobic and resistance training adaptations. Students sequence concurrent training to minimize performance compromise.

Lesson 3 • Aerobic Training Adaptations

Details mitochondrial biogenesis, capillary density, and cardiac adaptations from endurance training. Students quantify expected VO2max gains from structured aerobic programs.

Lesson 4 • Resistance Training Adaptations

Covers neural, hypertrophic, and connective tissue adaptations to progressive resistance training. Distinguishes early neural gains from later structural hypertrophy.

Lesson 5 • Principles of Physiological Adaptation

Defines overload, specificity, reversibility, and individual variation as adaptation drivers. Grounds program design decisions in established physiological principles.