Lesson 5 of 8

Exercise and breathing

Goal: Explain how exercise changes breathing.

Puzzles for this lesson

When you exercise you breathe faster and more deeply, because your cells need more oxygen.

Breathing rate is the number of breaths you take in one minute. Count yours now: at rest it is usually between 12 and 20.
Working muscles respire faster to release more energy. They use more oxygen and make more carbon dioxide.
Faster, deeper breaths bring in the extra oxygen and get rid of the extra carbon dioxide.
After exercise the rate falls back slowly to its resting value.

Your turn

This lesson’s activity starts here in a moment.

I can plot breathing rate against time.I can explain why the rate rises during exercise.

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Breathing Moving air into and out of the lungs

Breathing rate The number of breaths taken in one minute

For teachers: AQA 3.8.3