Exercise: Physiological Changes

Key points

• Blood pressure: systolic increases, diastolic decreases → increased pulse pressure; MABP rise is slight in healthy young people.
• Cardiac output rises 3–5 fold (venous constriction, vasodilation, increased contractility, maintained right atrial pressure via venous return).
• Heart rate up to 3-fold increase; stroke volume up to 1.5-fold increase.