Cardiac stroke volume: effects of athletic training.

Abstract

A high capacity oxygen transport system requires a large cardiac stroke volume. This may be achieved by an increase in the systolic emptying of the heart as might occur with training programs of one to three months. Any major increase in stroke volume must be achieved by an increase in the diastolic heart volume. Only the athlete with an extraordinary degree of endurance fitness develops this change and it likely requires at least a few years of training. Some of this training may have to take place during puberty and rapid growth years. To some extent the capacity to increase stroke volume may be genetically determined. We have no information on the best way to train the heart to have a high stroke volume. The inadequate data available suggest that moderately intense interval work with supine recovery periods results in the largest possible stroke volume, but it is not known whether this is of any practical value for training athletes.