Influence of Athletic Training on the Resting Cardiovascular System

Abstract

Cardiovascular changes in 18 college athletes during training, compared with 15 controls, can be interpreted as the result of the interplay of basic factors (peripheral resisttance, aortic volume-elasticity, stroke volume and heart rate). The observed effects of athletic training seem to be due to increased elasticity and resting stroke volume associated with a compensating decrease in heart rate. Brachial pulse wave tracings (systolic amplitude) differentiate the athletes from the controls, but do not change by a statistically acceptable amount during training. Changes in the resting heart rate constitute a useful test of the cardiovascular aspect of athletic conditioning, the validity being r = 0.76.