Effects of

exercise on CVS
Aim of CVS changes in exercise

To supply adequate O2 to the

excising muscles at a rate that
meets their metabolic demand.
Achieved by following CVS
responses
Increase in cardiac output
Increase in skeletal muscle blood
flow
Redistribution of blood flow in the
body
Changes in blood pressure
Changes in blood volume
Increased skeletal muscle blood flow
Muscle blood flow increases drastically
during exercise.
Resting blood flow: 3.6 ml/100g muscle/min
Blood flow during maximal exercise: 90
ml/100g muscle/min
Muscle blood flow can increase a maximum
of about 25 fold during the most strenuous
exercise.
Almost one half of this increase in flow
results from intramuscular vasodilation-
effect of increase muscle metabolism
 Strong tonic muscle contractions
can cause rapid muscle fatigue
because of lack of delivery of
enough O2 and other nutrients
during continuous contraction.
Mechanisms that increase muscle blood flow

3 mechanisms:
1. autonomic control: sympathetic innervation
of skeletal muscle is cholinergic, called
sympathetic vasodilator system. These fibers
heavily terminate on arterioles and cause
arteriolar dilation on activation and muscle
blood flow during exercise.
2. Metabolic control: in prolonged exercise,
accumulation of metabolites in the exercising
muscles causes dilatation of their blood
vessels. The metabolites are CO2, lactic
acids, K+ ions, H+ ions , also local rise of
temperature causes vasodilatation.
Metabolites cause dilatation of arterioles and
precapillary sphincters.
The metabolic vasodilatation maintains blood
flow during recovery phase of exercise.
3. Humoral control:
Skeletal blood vessess contain both and
receptors. These two receptors counter each
other in their action. Adrenaline through -
receptor mediated vasodilation contribute to
increase in muscle blood flow.
Cardiac output during
exercise
Cardiac output in young man at rest
5.5l/min
Maximal cardiac output during young
untrained man 23l/min
Maximal cardiac output during exercise
in average male marathoner 30l/min
Increase in heart rate
Heart rate at rest is called basal heart rate
(BHR)
BHR is a good index of parasympathetic
activity (vagal tone)
Maximum heart rate achieved is
determined by the age of the subject , this
is also called target heart rate(THR).
THR forms the basis of treadmill test while
assessing cardiac status of an individual.
 The approximate THR in an adult aged
40 years is 190.
THR decreases with age, however it
also depends on the basal heart rate,
physical fitness and gender of the
individual.
Heart rate increases in exercise due to
following mechanisms.
 Increased sympathetic discharge increase in
heart rate occurs before exercise begins
anticipatory tachycardia ( due to psychic
stimuli that originates from the limbic system
and activates sympathetic discharge via
hypothalamus)
Muscle-heart reflex: peripheral reflexes that
originate from the exercising muscles and
joints increase the heart rate, known as
muscle-heart reflex. This causes tachycardia
as soon as the exercise begins.
 Hormonal mechanisms: release of
catecholamines from adrenal medulla in
response to sympathetic stimulation and
plasma chemical changes contribute to
increase in heart rate.
Thermogenic stimulation: during exercise,
heat is produced from the exercising
muscles. The increased body temp.
stimulates pacemaker activity and
increase heart rate.
 Increase in stroke volume
Mechanisms:
Increased sympathetic discharge:
myocardial contractility that increases stroke
volume.
Increased EDV: EDV increases due to
venous return.
- Venous return increases due to increased
activities of skeletal muscle pump, thoracic
pump and abdominal pump
- Also sympathetic venous return stroke
volume.
 Redistribution of blood flow
During exercise, sympathetic vasoconstriction
in visceral and cutaneous vascular bed diverts
blood to the exercise skeletal muscles.
But blood flow to heart and brain is not
compromized because receptors are
predominantly present in coronary arteries
and metabolic vasodilatation overrides the
effects of sympathetic vasoconstriction in
both cerebral and coronary arteries.
Blood pressure changes

Systolic blood pressure always in

exercise due to sympathetic activation.
Diastolic blood pressure depends on the
degree of exercise.
In mild exercise, diastolic BP increases
due to sympathetic induced
vasoconstriction.
In moderate to severe exercise, diastolic
BP decreases due to vasodilation. It is
due to metabolic dilatation and
thermogenic dilatation.
CVS changes in isometric exercise
Tachycardia occurs at the beginning of
exercise mainly due to vagal withdrawal
Sympathetic stimulation also contributes to
tachycardia

Systolic and diastolic BP increase sharply

Skeletal muscle blood flow is grossly reduced
due to mechanical vasocompression-
tonically contracted muscles.
Change in blood volume

Effective circulating blood volume falls

during prolonged exercise and also in
strenuous exercise because-
Increased hydrostatic pressure capillary
filtration escape of fluid from
intravascular compartment to extravascular
compartment.
Increased sweating and evaporation from
skin during exercise