1.

3 Cardiorespiratory response to
acute exercise
 CARDIOVASCULAR RESPONSE TO ACUTE
EXERCISE

1. HEART RATE
2. STROKE VOLUME
3. CARDIAC OUTPUT
4. BLOOD FLOW
5. BLOOD PRESSURE
6. BLOOD
 Changes in
Cardiovascular
Variables
During Exercise
 1. Heart Rate
• Increase work will increase HR
• RHR increases with age
• RHR increases with extreme temperature and
altitude
• MHR = 220 – age
• Steady State HR
• HR increase during submax exercise until reaches a
plateau.
• Plateau  Steady state HR. Optimal heart rate for
meeting circulatory demand at specific workload (intensity
constant)
• Lower rate of steady state HR shows a more efficient
heart.
• 2-3 min
 2. Stroke Volume

• SV = volume of blood pumped per

stroke
• SV = EDV – ESV
• SV is determined by
a.Volume of venous return
b.Ventricular distensibility
c.Ventricular contractility
d.Aortic pulmonary artery pressure
• SV increases with increase rate of work
– Increased SV
 Increase, then plateau at ~40% VO2 max
 No plateau in highly trained subjects
• Relate to Frank Starling mechanism-
• More ventricle filling  ventricle stretch  eject
greater blood volume  contracting more forcefully
• Muscle fiber : greater the stretch of myocardial,
more actin myosin bridge form more forcefull
contraction
• Increase heart contractility
– Frank Starling mechanism
– Epi nor epi
– Increase ejection fraction
Ejection Fraction (EF) = SV x 100
EDV
(average = 60% at rest)
 3. Cardiac Output (Q)

• Q = total volume of blood pumped out

in 1 minute.
• Q = HR x SV (average = 60-80ml in
adults)
• If RHR = 80bpm
Q = 80 x 60 = 4.8 L.min.-1
(average = 5 L.min.-1 in adults)
• Q increases with increase rates of
work.
Factors that Regulate Cardiac Output
 CV DRIFT
• Prolonged exercise in the heat causes a
decrease in blood flow due to water loss,
which results in the decrease in SV.
Therefore in order to maintain Q, HR
increases.
• This is CV drift that allows you to continue
exercising at low to moderate intensities. At
high intensities, the increase in HR cannot
compensate the decrease in SV because MHR
will be reached, hence limits performance.
• Venous return  EDV  SV
 Cardiovascular
Changes During
Prolonged Exercise
 4. Blood flow
• During rest = 15-20% of resting Q
• During exercise = increase up to 80%
of Q
• During exercise in the heat, there is
increase blood flow to the skin.
• Effect of SNS & autoregulation =
vasodilation occurs as the results of
increased byproducts (La, CO2, decrease
in O2).
 5. Blood Pressure
= pressure exerted by blood against the
blood vessels

• Systolic = highest P in the artery

• Diastolic = lowest P in the artery

• Increase Q
• Facilitate blood flow
• Systolic BP = 120 mmHg at rest
• As exercise increases = systolic BP
increases because Q increases, but
diastolic BP not change.
• But, if a submax steady-state endurance
exercise is prolonged, systolic BP
decreases because increased arteriole
dilation in active muscles.

• MAP = Q x TPR
 Changes in
Cardiovascular
Variables During
Exercise
 6. Blood
• Functions of blood = transportation,
temperature regulation, acid-base (pH)
balance (normal= 7.4)

• Exercise = increases Lactate, increases

CO2, therefore increases acidity, hence
blood pH decreases.
• Exercise = H2O loss that leads to decrease in
plasma volume that increases the hematocrit and
viscosity of blood which finally decreases the
blood flow.

• a-v O2 diff
– O2 content per 100 ml arterial/ venous
– Represent the extent to which O2 is extracted and
removed from the blood and pass to the body
– Increase intensity  increase a-v O2diff
– Decrease O2 in venous blood
 Circulatory Responses to Exercise

Transition From Rest to Exercise to Recovery

 Circulatory Responses to Exercise

Transition From Rest to Exercise and

Exercise to Recovery
 At the onset of exercise:
– Rapid increase in HR, SV, cardiac output
– Plateau in submaximal (below lactate threshold)
exercise
 During recovery
– Decrease in HR, SV, and cardiac output toward
resting
– Depends on:
 Duration and intensity of exercise
 Training state of subject
 Circulatory Responses to Exercise

Incremental Exercise
 Heart rate and cardiac output
– Increases linearly with increasing work rate
– Reaches plateau at 100% VO2 max
 Blood pressure
– Mean arterial pressure increases linearly
 Systolic BP increases
 Diastolic BP remains fairly constant
 Double product (Rate-pressure product)
– Increases linearly with exercise intensity
– Double
Indicatesproduct
the work= of
HRthe heart
x systolic BP
 Circulatory Responses to Exercise

Intermittent Exercise
 Recovery of heart rate and blood pressure
between bouts depend on:
– Fitness level
– Temperature and humidity
– Duration and intensity of exercise
 Circulatory Responses to Exercise

Prolonged Exercise
 Cardiac output is maintained
 Gradual decrease in stroke volume
– Due to dehydration and reduced plasma volume
 Gradual increase in heart rate
– Cardiovascular drift