title: Impact of short-term training camp on arterial stiffness in endurance runners.
abstract: Lack of elasticity in the central artery causes an increase in left ventricular (LV) afterload. Although regular moderate-intensity endurance exercise improves cardiovascular function, including arterial destiffening, little is known about the effect of short-term vigorous exercise on cardiovascular function (i.e., the interaction between cardiac and arterial functions). We measured arterial stiffness [via pulse wave velocity from the heart to ankle (haPWV)] and LV contractility (via systolic interval time) before and after a 1-week training camp in a total of 33 regularly highly-trained collegiate endurance runners. They participated in three training sessions per day which mainly consisted of long-distance running and sprint training. The averaged running distance was ≈ 44% longer during the camp than the regular training program. After the camp, heart rate at rest and haPWV were significantly increased, whereas blood pressure remained unchanged. Although a ratio of pre-ejection period and LV ejection time (PEP/LVET, an index of blunted LV contractility) was unaltered, presumably due to the large variability of individual response, there was a significant correlation between changes in haPWV and PEP/LVET (r = 0.54, P < 0.01). These results suggest that, in regularly highly-trained endurance athletes, arterial stiffness increases after a training camp characterized by greater training volume (vs. regular training), and that the individual response in arterial stiffness correlates with the corresponding changes in myocardial contractility.
authors.affiliation: Graduate School of Comprehensive Human Science, University of Tsukuba, Tsukuba, Ibaraki, Japan.
authors.forename: Tsubasa
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Tomoto
authors.forename: Jun
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Sugawara
authors.forename: Ai
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Hirasawa
authors.forename: Tomoko
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Imai
authors.forename: Seiji
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Maeda
authors.forename: Shigehiko
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Ogoh
mesh_terms: D000222:Adaptation, Physiological; D000293:Adolescent; D001158:Arteries / Q000502:physiology*; D001794:Blood Pressure; D004548:Elasticity; D006339:Heart Rate; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D010807:Physical Endurance; D063177:Pulse Wave Analysis; D055070:Resistance Training / Q000379:methods*; D012420:Running; D013599:Systole; D013997:Time Factors; D059289:Vascular Stiffness; D016277:Ventricular Function, Left; D055815:Young Adult