Fitness
Cardiac Output
Cardiac output is blood pumped per minute during effort. Endurance training raises stroke volume so the heart delivers more oxygen with fewer beats at the same pace.
Cardiac output is the volume of blood your heart pumps per minute—stroke volume times heart rate—and it rises during exercise to deliver oxygen to working muscles. Endurance training increases stroke volume so the heart pumps more per beat at rest and submax effort.
Tracking only heart rate misses whether output comes from efficient strokes or high rate.
Common questions
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How does cardiac output relate to VO2 max?
VO2 max depends on cardiac output and how well muscles use oxygen. Higher stroke volume from endurance work is a major long-term driver of both.
Related terms
Put Cardiac Output into practice
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