Left ventricular response in healthy young men during heavy-intensity weight-lifting exercise

We examined cardiac volumes (using echocardiography), intra-arterial blood pressure (BP), and intrathoracic pressure (ITP) in healthy males performing leg press exercise to failure at 95% of their maximum dynamic strength. Compared with preexercise, during the lifting phase of exercise, end-diastolic volume (EDV; 147 +/- 8 to 103 +/- 7 ml) and end-systolic volume (ESV; 54 +/- 5 to 27 +/- 4 ml) decreased (P < 0.05); heart rate (82 +/- 6 to 143 +/- 5 beats/min), systolic BP (160 +/- 6 to 270 +/- 21 Torr), diastolic BP (91 +/- 2 to 183 +/- 18 Torr), ITP (0.8 +/- 0.8 to 57.8 +/- 24 Torr), and peak systolic BP/ESV (SBP/ESV; 3.0 +/- 0.3 to 11.0 +/- 1.5 Torr/ml) increased (P < 0.05); and stroke volume decreased (94 +/- 3 to 77 +/- 4 ml; P > 0.05). Full knee extension was …