The ability of the human body to maintain a high consumer oxygen level after exercise is called oxygen debt. What does it give? The ability to have oxygen debt guarantees the body the required margin of safety. More on this later in the article.
Definition
So what is this characteristic? Oxygen debt is the amount of O 2 that is necessary for the oxidation of metabolic products accumulated in the human body during intense muscular work.
The processes of debt are caused by the fact that, with prolonged physical activity, tissues can function in ischemic mode. This is due to a lack of oxygen. Oxygen debt is considered to be a classic example of a delayed action of physical activity on an organism.
Kinds
This debt is of the following varieties:
- Alactate. How is it formed? Alactate debt in the human body occurs as a result of physical activity. It is eliminated in a few minutes.
- Lactate - increases in the process of exceeding the oxygen demand of the IPC in the human body. Compensation of this kind of debt occurs within a few hours.
Alactate oxygen debt is the amount of O 2 that will need to be spent to replenish the reserve. It is also called fast, since recovery after physical exertion is fast and takes no more than four minutes of time.
Lactate oxygen debt is associated with many factors and is called slow. In this case, O 2 is involved in the processes of oxidative reactions and provides glycogen resynthesis from blood lactate, as well as oxidation in skeletal and cardiac muscles.
All components of oxygen debt play an important role and depend on physical activity and the preparation of the human body for stress.
Reasons for the decline
At rest, a person spends an average of about 250 milliliters of O 2 per minute. This value may vary depending on weight, gender and living conditions, as well as during physical activity. During physical activity, there is a significant increase in oxygen consumption by about twenty times.
When a person is in a calm state, then approximately twenty percent of the total energy consumption is expended, of which at least five percent of the total consumption of O 2 is required. During physical activity, there is ventilation of the lungs and a change in oxygen pressure parameters depending on the intensity of the loads and the age of the person.

After the completion of physical exertion, the consumption of O 2 begins to gradually decrease and eventually returns to its original parameters. As practice shows, the amount of debt O 2 directly depends on the efforts and physical fitness of the person. Maximum oxygen debt may vary depending on these factors. For example, during physical activity, which lasts for several minutes for an untrained person, the debt is on average from three to five liters. The indicator of an athlete in this situation is from fifteen liters or more. It should be borne in mind that the maximum oxygen debt is a measure of anaerobic power, which characterizes the total capacity of anaerobic processes that occur under maximum loads and conditions.
Maximum O2 Consumption
The maximum amount of O 2 that is delivered within one minute to the working muscles of a person is called maximum consumption. This indicator directly depends on the following factors:
- from an increase in physical load on the body;
- masses of working muscles;
- conditions of oxygen transportation systems;
- cardiac performance;
- peripheral circulation.
The maximum oxygen consumption in the human body is measured in liters. In childhood, the indicators vary in accordance with the growth and age of the child. In order to conduct a thorough assessment of a personβs physical condition, it is first necessary to determine the oxygen pulse. It is this indicator that indicates the efficiency of the heart. The lower the heart rate, the greater the amount of oxygen the body needs.
Oxygen request
The amount of oxygen that a person needs to do a specific job per unit of time is an oxygen request. Is this related to other characteristics? Oxygen debt and oxygen demand are closely interconnected. If the supply chain O 2 cannot quickly satisfy the request, a debt is organized in the body.
Recovery Methods
After any physical activity in the human body, opposing processes and transformations in the activity of functional systems that supply organs for a specific exercise occur.
Any physical activity requires subsequent recovery of the body, which can be both active and passive. If we are talking about active recovery, then in this case, each training session must necessarily end with a gradual decrease in load. It is thanks to this approach that convulsive conditions in the muscles are prevented, and the recovery process is greatly facilitated.
If we are talking about a passive approach, then in this case a person needs less oxygen than when in a familiar state. As a result of this, oxygen is released in a certain amount, the body is restored. Passive recovery is recommended if loads do not go beyond the limits of uniform oxygen consumption.
The recovery period in this case lasts a short period of time, after which you can restart the exercise. According to scientists, it is the passive method that is considered the most relevant. Choosing a recovery method should be correct, since it is on this that the load on the heart directly depends.
Conclusion
When a person performs work requiring high power, O 2 delivery systems cannot provide the need for energy processes. As a result of this, under-oxidized products accumulate in the tissues. As soon as a person completes physical activity, oxygen debt is eliminated. An assessment of this condition should be carried out in each case personally, depending on the physical fitness, load, gender and age of the person. It is oxygen debt that is considered a classic example of a delayed action on the human body of physical activity.