Drug Medical Information

CARDIORESPIRATORY FITNESS: THE PHYSIOLOGICAL BENEFITS

Table lists the physiological benefits to be derived from participating in a cardiorespiratory endurance conditioning program. The list may seem overwhelming at first glance, but all these physiological changes can be reduced to one primary benefit— increased aerobic power. What effect do all these changes have on level of performance? First, all the changes that occur to the heart, blood, blood vessels, and lungs, which make up the cardiorespiratory system, are geared to increase the amount of blood that is delivered to the muscles. Also, these benefits make exercise feel easier at workloads below maximum. They increase your ability to perform at maximal exercise intensity. The changes that occur in the muscles, bones, and joints are all designed to increase your ability to extract oxygen from the bloodstream and use it to produce energy for exercise. Exercise duration is increased as well as exercise intensity. In short, the total amount of work that you are able to do increases as a result of cardiorespiratory adaptations from an aerobic conditioning program.
Physiological Benefits of Increased Cardiorespiratory Endurance Participating in an Aerobic Training Program
HEART, BLOOD VESSELS, AND LUNGS
Lower resting heart rate
Lower submaximal exercise heart rate
Increased maximal cardiac output
Increased stroke volume
Decreased recovery time
Increased strength of heart muscle
Increased blood flow to muscles during exercise
Decreased resting blood pressure in hypertensives

Increased number of capillaries in muscles
Increased total blood volume
Increased hemoglobin (carries oxygen to muscles)
Increased vital capacity (lung capacity)
Decreased blood lipids
Increased high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol Decreased low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol Decreased triglycerides (fats)
MUSCLES, BONES, JOINTS
Increased bone strength and density
Increased thickness of cartilage, tendons, and ligaments
Increased oxygen consumed by muscles
Increased number of mitochondria
Increased size of mitochondria
Increased concentration of oxidative enzymes
Increased size of slow-twitch muscle fibers
Increased muscle glycogen stores
Increased ATP and phosphocreatine stores
Increased ability to burn fat for energy
Decreased body fat percentage
Increased muscular endurance
Increased flexibility
*173\278\8*