Journal of Applied Physiology, Vol 72, Issue 6 2458-2462, Copyright © 1992 by American Physiological Society

ARTICLES

Exercise training prevents decline in stroke volume during exercise in young healthy subjects

R. J. Spina, T. Ogawa, W. H. Martin 3rd, A. R. Coggan, J. O. Holloszy and A. A. Ehsani
Department of Medicine, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, Missouri 63110.

Stroke volume (SV) increases above the resting level during exercise and then declines at higher intensities of exercise in sedentary subjects. The purpose of this study was to determine whether an attenuation of the decline in SV at higher exercise intensities contributes to the increase in maximal cardiac output (Qmax) that occurs in response to endurance training. We studied six men and six women, 25 +/- 1 (SE) yr old, before and after 12 wk of endurance training (3 days/wk running for 40 min, 3 days/wk interval training). Cardiac output was measured at rest and during exercise at 50 and 100% of maximal O2 uptake (Vo2max) by the C2H2-rebreathing method. VO2max was increased by 19% (from 2.7 +/- 0.2 to 3.2 +/- 0.3 l/min, P less than 0.001) in response to the training program. Qmax was increased by 12% (from 18.1 +/- 1 to 20.2 +/- 1 l/min, P less than 0.01), SV at maximal exercise was increased by 16% (from 97 +/- 6 to 113 +/- 8 ml/beat, P less than 0.001) and maximal heart rate was decreased by 3% (from 185 +/- 2 to 180 +/- 2 beats/min, P less than 0.01) after training. The calculated arteriovenous O2 content difference at maximal exercise was increased by 7% (14.4 +/- 0.4 to 15.4 +/- 0.4 ml O2/100 ml blood) after training. Before training, SV at VO2max was 9% lower than during exercise at 50% VO2max (P less than 0.05). In contrast, after training, the decline in SV between 50 and 100% VO2max was only 2% (P = NS). Furthermore, SV was significantly higher (P less than 0.01) at 50% VO2max after training than it was before. Left ventricular hypertrophy was evident, as determined by two-dimensional echocardiography at the completion of training. The results indicate that in young healthy subjects the training-induced increase in Qmax is due in part to attenuation of the decrease in SV as exercise intensity is increased.

This article has been cited by other articles:

				J. Gonzalez-Alonso Point:Counterpoint: Stroke volume does/does not decline during exercise at maximal effort in healthy individuals J Appl Physiol, January 1, 2008; 104(1): 275 - 276. [Full Text] [PDF]

				A. Lucia, C. Foster, P.-M. Lepretre, E. Henriksen, M. Sundstedt, P. Hedberg, C. A. Vella, R. A. Robergs, E. F. Coyle, J. D. Trinity, et al. Stroke volume does/does not decline during exercise at maximal effort in healthy individuals J Appl Physiol, January 1, 2008; 104(1): 281 - 283. [Full Text] [PDF]

				E. P. Weiss, S. B. Racette, D. T. Villareal, L. Fontana, K. Steger-May, K. B. Schechtman, S. Klein, A. A. Ehsani, J. O. Holloszy, and Washington University School of Medicine CALERIE G Lower extremity muscle size and strength and aerobic capacity decrease with caloric restriction but not with exercise-induced weight loss J Appl Physiol, February 1, 2007; 102(2): 634 - 640. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				E. P. Weiss, R. J. Spina, J. O. Holloszy, and A. A. Ehsani Gender differences in the decline in aerobic capacity and its physiological determinants during the later decades of life J Appl Physiol, September 1, 2006; 101(3): 938 - 944. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				S. P Mortensen, E. A Dawson, C. C Yoshiga, M. K Dalsgaard, R. Damsgaard, N. H Secher, and J. Gonzalez-Alonso Limitations to systemic and locomotor limb muscle oxygen delivery and uptake during maximal exercise in humans J. Physiol., July 1, 2005; 566(1): 273 - 285. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				P.-M. Lepretre, C. Foster, J.-P. Koralsztein, and V. L. Billat Heart rate deflection point as a strategy to defend stroke volume during incremental exercise J Appl Physiol, May 1, 2005; 98(5): 1660 - 1665. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				C A Vella and R A Robergs A review of the stroke volume response to upright exercise in healthy subjects Br. J. Sports Med., April 1, 2005; 39(4): 190 - 195. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				J. M. Goodman, P. P. Liu, and H. J. Green Left ventricular adaptations following short-term endurance training J Appl Physiol, February 1, 2005; 98(2): 454 - 460. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				D. N. Proctor, S. C. Newcomer, D. W. Koch, K. U. Le, D. A. MacLean, and U. A. Leuenberger Leg blood flow during submaximal cycle ergometry is not reduced in healthy older normally active men J Appl Physiol, May 1, 2003; 94(5): 1859 - 1869. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				S. D. McCole, M. D. Brown, G. E. Moore, J. M. Zmuda, J. D. Cwynar, and J. M. Hagberg Cardiovascular hemodynamics with increasing exercise intensities in postmenopausal women J Appl Physiol, December 1, 1999; 87(6): 2334 - 2340. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				S Jones, P M Elliott, S Sharma, W J McKenna, and B J Whipp Cardiopulmonary responses to exercise in patients with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy Heart, July 1, 1998; 80(1): 60 - 67. [Abstract] [Full Text]

				C. M. Mier, M. J. Turner, A. A. Ehsani, and R. J. Spina Cardiovascular adaptations to 10 days of cycle exercise J Appl Physiol, December 1, 1997; 83(6): 1900 - 1906. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				C. M. Mier, M. A. Domenick, and J. H. Wilmore Changes in stroke volume with beta -blockade before and after 10 days of exercise training in men and women J Appl Physiol, November 1, 1997; 83(5): 1660 - 1665. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]