The beneficial effects of sustained or lifelong (>25 years) endurance exercise on cardiovascular structure and exercise function have been largely established in men. The current findings indicate that committed (≥4 weekly exercise sessions) lifelong exercise results in substantial benefits in exercise capacity ( Endurance exercise training should be considered a key strategy to prevent cardiovascular disease with ageing in women as well as men.
This study was a retrospective, cross‐sectional analysis of exercise performance and left ventricular (LV) morphology in 70 women to examine whether women who have performed regular, lifelong endurance exercise acquire the same beneficial adaptations in cardiovascular structure and function and exercise performance that have been reported previously in men. Three groups of women were examined: (1) 35 older (>60 years) untrained women (older untrained, OU), (2) 13 older women who had consistently performed four or more endurance exercise sessions weekly for at least 25 years (older trained, OT), and (3) 22 middle‐aged (range 35–59 years) untrained women (middle‐aged untrained, MU) as a reference control for the appropriate age‐related changes. Oxygen uptake (