Cardiorespiratory adaptations in response to exercise take two forms. Acute adaptations occur immediately when physical stress is encountered and involve changes in function that allow a higher level of performance to be attained. Chronic adaptations also result in altered function, but in this case changes take place over time and are often accompanied by structural modifications that underpin the improved performance. When exercise stress is encountered regularly (e.g. over the course of a systematic training intervention), body systems acutely adapt repeatedly, which provides the stimulus that causes the desired chronic adaptations. During all but the most fleeting exercise challenges, respiratory activity in active muscle mitochondria is elevated. This means that delivery of oxygen (O2) and fuels to these organelles must increase and carbon dioxide (CO2) and waste products must be removed at a greater rate. In humans, the lungs provide the interface for transport of O2 and CO2 to and from the atmosphere, while the cardiovascular system supplies the network through which this transport occurs. Therefore, cardiovascular and pulmonary function are intimately linked, and changes to each of these systems are important aspects of the acute and chronic adaptive responses to exercise.
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