Contributions of cardiac output and total peripheral resistance to interindividual variability in peak exercise blood pressure in young adults

Whether interindividual differences in exercise blood pressure (BP) are mediated by changes in cardiac output or total peripheral resistance remain unclear. We demonstrate in healthy normotensive adults that higher peak exercise systolic BP during cycling is related to a larger cardiac output, whereas the rise in systolic BP per metabolic equivalent is related to a diminished fall in total peripheral resistance. Sex also appears to modulate this relation in those with an exaggerated exercise BP.