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Updated: Mar 30, 2026

Conducting Maximal and Submaximal Endurance Exercise Testing to Measure Physiological and Biological Responses to Acute Exercise in Humans
Published on: October 17, 2018
Endurance Exercise and the Heart: Friend or Foe?
Fabian Sanchis-Gomar1, Laura M Pérez2, Michael J Joyner3
1Research Institute Hospital 12 de Octubre ('i+12'), Edificio Actividades Ambulatorias, 6ª Planta, Avda. de Córdoba s/n, 28041, Madrid, Spain. fabian.sanchis@uv.es.
Abstract:
Although low- to moderate-intensity exercise has well-known cardiovascular benefits, it has been increasingly suggested that prolonged strenuous endurance exercise (SEE) could have potential deleterious cardiac effects. In effect, the term 'cardiac overuse injury' (or 'over-exercise') has been recently reported to group all the possible deleterious cardiac consequences of repeated exposure to SEE or 'over-exercise'. In this article, we provide a balanced overview of the current state of knowledge regarding the 'pros' and 'cons' of SEE from a cardiological point of view.
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