Adjustments through endurance training

Through regular cardio training, the body adapts at various levels to optimize oxygen uptake, oxygen transport, and energy production in muscles.

Here are the key mechanisms that improve your cardio fitness:

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Improving heart function — increasing stroke volume through training

Cardiac hypertrophy (athlete's heart)
Continuous cardio training results in eccentric hypertrophy of the heart muscle. This increases the left ventricle volume (end-diastolic volume, EDV), which allows more blood to be absorbed and ejected per beat. You can therefore transport more blood per heartbeat.

Increased myocardial contractility
Endurance training improves the ability of heart muscle cells to contract more efficiently. This results in an increased ejection fraction (EF), i.e. the percentage of blood that is ejected from the left ventricle per beat.

Increased diastolic filling and venous backflow
Exercising improves blood flow in the veins and makes muscles more effective in transporting blood back to the heart. As a result, the heart is better filled with blood during the relaxation phase (diastole). According to the Frank-Starling mechanism, more filling means that the heart beats harder and pumps more blood into the circulatory system.

Reduction of peripheral resistance
As a result of training, blood vessels adapt by becoming more elastic and wider, which leads to a decrease in resistance. As a result, the heart has to use less force to pump blood into the circulatory system, which increases efficiency.

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2nd Increasing oxygen uptake — stronger respiratory muscles

With better cardio fitness, breathing becomes more efficient. Your lungs can absorb more oxygen and pass it on to the blood. In addition, the respiratory muscles, in particular the diaphragm, are strengthened through training, which further improves oxygen uptake.

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3rd More capillaries — better blood flow to the muscles

A trained cardiovascular system promotes the formation of new capillaries — small blood vessels that supply muscles with oxygen and nutrients. This means that muscles can obtain more energy from oxygen and at the same time remove waste materials such as lactate more quickly.

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4th Optimizing mitochondria — more energy for muscles

Regular endurance training increases both the number and efficiency of mitochondria, which increases energy production and delays fatigue.

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5th Improving fat metabolism — more efficient energy production

As your cardio fitness increases, your body gets better at using fat as an energy source. This is particularly advantageous during long periods of exercise, as the body's carbohydrate stores are limited.