Training Makes the Heart Grow Larger

Endurance training, it now appears, doesn't just make the heart stronger, it literally makes it larger. The Radiological Society of North America reports in a news release that researchers at the University of Erlangen-Nuremberg in Erlangen, Germany conducted cardiac MRI on 26 professional male triathletes (mean age 27.9) and 27 male controls (mean age 27.3), who were recreationally active no more than three hours per week. The triathletes in the study were top national and international competitors with six or more years of continuous training. The researchers found that, compared to the recreational athletes, the triathletes had larger left atria and larger right and left ventricles. The triathletes' left and right ventricles also had greater muscle mass and wall thickness. The North American Radiologists also report that: