cardio physiology

Question 1

What substances/chemical are elevated after exercise? What is their function? How long do they stay elevated?

Answer 1

adenosine dilates arterioles thereby increasing blood flow to exercising muscles. stays elevated for a few minutes after termination of exercise
VEGF is secreted by cells under hypoxic conditions (but not endothelial cells) and causes blood vessels to proliferate. Stays elevated for an hour after termination of exercise
Growth hormone is secreted during exercise and returns to baseline levels by one hour after termination

Question 2

How do static/high-strength and dynamic/endurance exercises differ in their effect on vascular resistance in the exercising muscle?

Answer 2

In static/high-strength exercise, contraction of the muscle compresses the arteries, leading to higher vascular resistance and lower blood flow.
In dynamic/endurance exercise, the muscles don’t continuously compress the arteries so the arteries can dilate, leading to lower vascular resistance and higher blood flow.