The acute and chronic effects of local aerobic exercise on cardiovascular physiology

van de Ven, MPF ORCID: 0009-0006-8288-4103, Vloet, J, Merkus, D and Thijssen, DHJ ORCID: 0000-0002-7707-5567 (2026) The acute and chronic effects of local aerobic exercise on cardiovascular physiology. Experimental Physiology. pp. 1-15. ISSN 0958-0670

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Abstract

Exercise training has beneficial effects for primary and secondary prevention of cardiovascular disease (CVD). Effects of exercise training have typically been studied in the form of whole-body exercise training, partly driven by the assumption that larger effects of exercise training can be achieved by involving more and larger muscle groups. Nonetheless, also local aerobic exercise provides valuable insight into cardiovascular responses and the mechanisms by which exercise training leads to lower CVD risk by being able to discriminate between local and remote effects of exercise. Therefore, it is important to understand the acute effects of local exercise on cardiovascular physiology, as well as how adaptations occur following exercise training. Furthermore, acute responses to local aerobic exercise may lead to (remote) cardioprotective effects, and is associated with blood pressure-lowering effects. Understanding these effects may help to further elucidate the mechanisms through which exercise decreases the risk of CVD, while it also highlights that local aerobic exercise may prove useful for systemic adaptations. This review aims to provide an overview of the acute and chronic effects of local aerobic exercise on cardiovascular physiology. Specifically, we describe the acute and chronic effects on local vascular haemodynamics and function, including changes in blood flow, diameter response, endothelial function and responses to ischaemia–reperfusion injury. Furthermore, the acute and chronic effects of local aerobic exercise on central haemodynamics will be discussed, including blood pressure, cardiac output and total peripheral resistance. Finally, we consider how several variables such as subject characteristics and training characteristics modulate these changes.

Item Type:	Article
Uncontrolled Keywords:	blood pressure; endothelial function; haemodynamic; isometric exercise training; isometric handgrip training; blood pressure; endothelial function; haemodynamic; isometric exercise training; isometric handgrip training; 42 Health Sciences; 4207 Sports Science and Exercise; Cardiovascular; Heart Disease; Prevention; Physical Activity; 6.7 Physical; Cardiovascular; 3 Good Health and Well Being; 0606 Physiology; 1106 Human Movement and Sports Sciences; 1116 Medical Physiology; Physiology; 3109 Zoology; 3208 Medical physiology; 4207 Sports science and exercise
Subjects:	Q Science > QP Physiology R Medicine > RC Internal medicine > RC1200 Sports Medicine
Divisions:	Sport and Exercise Sciences
Publisher:	Wiley
Date of acceptance:	23 June 2026
Date of first compliant Open Access:	4 September 2026
Date Deposited:	04 Sep 2026 10:43
Last Modified:	04 Sep 2026 10:43
DOI or ID number:	10.1113/EP093610
URI:	https://researchonline.ljmu.ac.uk/id/eprint/29323

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