Changes in the Heart During Exercise

The changes that occur in the heart during exercise are, in general, beneficial. But, do you know what these changes are that reduce cardiovascular risk? Read this article to find out!

The fact that exercising causes changes in the heart is no longer debatable. Although medical science had previously had long debates about this, we now know that the heart muscles of athletes are modified during exercise.

It’s common for patients with increased risk of heart problems, such as diabetics and hypertensive patients to participate in sports. However, that doesn’t mean that they’re the only ones who can benefit. In reality, everyone can improve their heart through physical exercise.

Changes in the heart and types of physical exercise

The heart is an organ that’s made up mostly of muscle. The cells that make up this tissue are cardiomyocytes, and they’re organized in such a way that they coordinate the beats to contract with a certain rhythm.

Unlike other muscles in the body, the heart is automatic because it has its own electrical conduction system. This local system organizes the contraction in such a way that the blood is first propelled from the upper part of the heart to the lower part, and then finally leaves through the aorta artery.

The heart has four chambers: two atria and two ventricles. They’re connected to each other, on each side, right and left, through valves. Between both sides, the blood has to pass through the lungs first, and that makes the respiratory system almost indivisible from the circulatory system.

In the lungs, the blood becomes oxygenated and releases the carbon dioxide that the lungs expel from the body as waste. This is important to understand, as there are two forms of exercise that can change the heart: aerobic and anaerobic.

Differences between aerobic and anaerobic exercise

Aerobic exercise is the type that needs oxygen to maintain itself. That is, the body needs the cardiovascular and respiratory systems to provide enough gas to sustain muscle metabolism. If the sport becomes more intense, the oxygen requirements are higher than what your body can bring in, and that’s when you pass to the anaerobic phase.

In anaerobic exercise, you have to stop the activity to recover; otherwise, you’ll become exhausted and the muscle will stop. A typical example of this is when you’re using a machine at the gym, at the point that your muscle strength runs out.

Effects and changes in the heart when exercising

The changes in the heart when exercising depend on whether we do aerobic or anaerobic tests. The former are those that change the muscle in the long term and have the best cardiovascular protective effects. The latter tend to enlarge the myocardium but aren’t as effective in prevention as the others.

In general terms, the effects of physical activity are as follows:

• Hypertrophy of the myocardium: the heart muscle increases in size with sustained activity. This is a logical adaptation because it needs more force to drive a higher volume of blood, according to demands.
• Decreased baseline heart rate: Sinus bradycardia is common in athletes. This is the slowest heartbeat because the heart has become more efficient. It doesn’t cause diseases and it isn’t risky either. This is when the resting heart rate is less than 60 beats per minute.
• Increase in blood volume per unit of time: since it’s more efficient, the heart can circulate more blood with fewer beats and in less time.

Changes in the heart: other effects

It’s also important to note three collateral effects that influence the heart without coming from the heart itself:

• More red blood cells: athletes have more red blood cells circulating because these cells carry oxygen and the body needs more oxygen. This has an indirect effect on efficiency, as the gas is easier to transport and requires fewer heartbeats to do so.
• Increased lung capacity: with exercise, the lungs increase their ability to store air and exchange it. That also eases the function of the heart.
• Reduction of body fat: sustained exercise reduces weight at the expense of eliminating excess adipose tissue, according to the caloric needs of the athlete. With less fat volume, it’s also easier for the circulatory system to circulate blood.

Benefits of physical exercise on cardiovascular health

Scientific evidence is strong regarding the benefits of the changes that physical exercise causes in the heart. In recent decades more and more studies and research have confirmed this.

Athletes who regularly exercise have more nitric oxide circulating, which lowers blood pressure since this substance is a vasodilator. In addition, these same people tend to have a higher amount of good cholesterol or HDL, according to their blood tests. This means their arteries aren’t at risk of suffering arteriosclerosis.

The end result is that people who perform aerobic exercise frequently have half the coronary risk of the rest of the population. Similarly, the death rate from cardiac causes is reduced by almost 25 percent.

That’s not all, because people who have already suffered a heart attack, for example, also benefit from changes in their hearts if they start a training plan. In these cases, it’s possible to increase the effectiveness of the damaged myocardium by up to 20 percent.

Change your heart with exercise

You can improve your heart health by playing sports. Not only are there benefits to your mood and psychological health, but actually the heart muscle is capable of changing itself to become better at its tasks.

We particularly recommend aerobic exercise. Running, biking, swimming, or dancing are excellent activities. If you add them to your daily routine you can increase your quality of life and extend life expectancy.