Central vs Peripheral Adaptations Explained

Direct Answer
Central adaptations involve changes in the heart, lungs, and blood, while peripheral adaptations occur within muscles and connective tissue. Both contribute to endurance performance but respond differently to training.

Central Adaptations
These include increased cardiac output, stroke volume, and blood volume. Central adaptations improve oxygen delivery throughout the body.

Peripheral Adaptations
Peripheral changes include increased mitochondrial density, capillarization, and metabolic efficiency within working muscles. These adaptations improve oxygen utilization.

Practical Relevance
Endurance performance depends more heavily on peripheral adaptations once basic cardiovascular capacity is established.

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