Regular exercise leads to several long-term effects on the cardiovascular and respiratory systems. The heart muscle thickens and increases in size, raising stroke volume and cardiac output. This allows the heart to pump more blood with each beat and a lower resting heart rate. Capilliarization improves oxygen delivery to working muscles. Blood volume and aerobic fitness increase while resting blood pressure and recovery time decrease. The muscular system also adapts through increased myoglobin and mitochondria stores, glycogen and fat storage, tendon and muscle strength, and tolerance to lactic acid buildup.

1. Assessment Activity 4 – Stepping Up To The Plate…
Unit 2: The Physiology of Fitness
P4 – Describe the Long-Term Effects of Exercise on the Cardiovascular and Respiratory System

2. Cardiovascular System:
Cardiac Hypertrophy – The thickening of the heart muscle which results in a decrease in size of the chamber of the heart, including
the left and right ventricles. A common cause of cardiac hypertrophy is high blood pressure.
Increase In Stroke Volume – Stroke Volume is the amount of blood pumped out per beat. Your stroke volume is increased and your
resting heart is decreased. Increase in stroke volume can lead to increase in cardiac output.
Increase In Cardiac Output – Cardiac Output is the amount of blood pumped around the body per minute. To work out your
maximum heart rate, is 220 – age (in years). Over a long period of time your cardiac output increases because your heart rate and
stroke volume has increased so your heart gets used to the rate of work it has to maintain.
Decrease In Resting Heart Rate – When you exercise your heart gets bigger, which means you can pump more blood which results in
less beats. As your heart rate increases in volume, this means that you can last longer when you are exercising.
Capillarisation – The capillarisation of cardiac and skeletal muscles improves sustained aerobic exercise meaning the amount of
oxygen and energy getting to the muscle in increased. It increases the blood flow to specific areas, depending on what part of the
body you are exercising.
Increase In Blood Volume – Blood Volume is the amount of blood that is in the body, this can be calculated by determining the
volumes of red blood cells and plasma cells. An increase in blood volume, as when there is retention of water and salt in the body
because of renal failure, results in an increase in cardiac output.
Reduction In Resting Blood Pressure – The pressure of the blood in the vessels, especially the arteries, as it circulates through the
body. Blood pressure varies with the strength of the heartbeat, the volume of blood being pumped, and the elasticity of the blood
vessels.
Decreased Recovery Time – The fitter your heart, the quicker it returns to normal after exercise. Fitter individuals generally recover
more rapidly because their cardiovascular system can adapt more quicker to impose demands of exercise.
Increased Aerobic Fitness – This is where a performer has trained over an extensive period of time in long training sessions such as
running or cycling. This helps increases the performers aerobic fitness because it would increase the efficiency and endurance
capability of the heart and lungs.

3. Muscular System:
Cardiac Hypertrophy – This is the thickening of the heart muscle, as the wall of the heart thickens it becomes stronger, less blood is
going into the heart but because the heart is so powerful it does not need to work as hard.
Increase In Tendon Strength – Exercise increases tendon strength by stretching and contracting and putting strain on the tendon. this
makes the tendon active and replace cells with new ones. If you have damaged it before the body will be stimulated into making
stronger cells that before.
Increase In Myoglobin Stores – Myoglobin is a protein within the muscle tissue which acts as an oxygen carrier. As a long term effect
of exercise, the ability of the muscles to store myoglobin is increased. Muscles increase their oxidative capacity through regular
exercise, the myoglobin stores also increase because they get used to the demands of exercise and work placed upon them so
increase stores as they will be needed.
Increased In Number Of Mitochondria – Mitochondria enable cells to produce 15 times more ATP than they could, humans need
large amounts of energy in order to survive. The number of mitochondria present in a cell depends upon the metabolic requirements
of that cell, and may range from a single large mitochondrion to thousands of the organelles.
Increased Storage Of Glycogen And Fat – Glycogen is made primarily by the liver and the muscles, but can also be made by
glycogenesis within the brain and stomach.Liver cells which on demand, are ready to break down their stored glycogen into glucose
and send it through the blood stream as fuel for the brain or muscles.
Fats are stored in the marrow of bones, heart, lungs, liver, spleen, kidneys, intestines, muscles and lipid rich tissues of the central
nervous system.
Increased Muscles Strength – Muscles Strength can be increased by weight, isometric and resistance training which strengthens the
muscles. Strength training can provide benefits and improvements in a performers health and well-being, including increased bone,
muscle, tendon and ligament strength and toughness, improved joint function, reduced potential for injury, increased bone density, a
temporary increase in metabolism and improved cardiac function.
Increased Tolerance To Lactic Acid – Lactic acid is formed when an athlete exercises, if the performer is exercising at a level where
more oxygen is being used than can be replenished to their system. Lactic acid tolerance training will make your body more efficient
at reprocessing the waste products of exercise, transporting oxygen to your blood and allowing you to exercise at your highest point
for longer time.