Left ventricular adaptations following short-term endurance training

ventricular adaptations following short-term endurance training. J Appl Physiol 98: 454–460, 2005. First published September 24, 2004; doi:10.1152/japplphysiol.00258.2004.—This study examined the effects of short-term endurance training (ET) on the left ventric-ular (LV) adaptation and functional response to a series of exercise challenges with increasing intensity. Eight untrained men, with a mean age of 19.4 0.5 (SE) yr, were studied before and after 6 days of ET consisting of cycling 2 h/day at 65 % peak aerobic power (V ˙ O2 max). LV ejection fraction and LV volumes were assessed by radionuclide angiography at rest and during exercise at three uninter-rupted successive work rates corresponding to 53, 68, and 83 % of V ˙ O2 max, each lasting 20 min. ET produced a calculated plasma volume expansion of 11.4 2.2 % (P 0.05). The increase in plasma volume was accompanied by an increase in V ˙ O2 max from 45.9 1.9 to 49.0 1.0 ml kg1 min1 (P 0.01) and a decrease in maxima