Exercise capacity (EC) and heart rate (HR) profile in an exercise test (ET) are currently two parameters recognized as being of prognostic value of mortality, or even cardiovascular morbidity. The ET, by studying these parameters precisely, provides additional information in order to assess the quality and quantity of physical training in the athlete.

Fifty male athletes (A), mean age 23.78 years, were studied using a standard ET, either on a bicycle or on a treadmill, which we compared to sedentary subjects (SS) of the same age group (23.33 y). The practice of sport is essentially, cycling (sprinter), weightlifting and athletics.

The mean exercise capacity of the athletes is 18 Mets where as in the sedentary, it is 11.89, the difference is significant (P<0.001). There is a difference of 5.95min of the duration of effort A=20.49/SS=14.54=5.95min, with a very significant difference for sprinter cyclists (CS=37.34’/SS=14.54’), P<0.001). As for heart rate reserve (HRR=HR·Max-HR rest). (HRR=102.70–95.91=6.79), recovering HR beat/’at 1’=45.17–34.91=10.26; 2’: 62.24–52.16=10.08; 5’=: 109.66–86.07=23.59 (P=0.10) the difference is not significant.

The values of effort recovery are a good indicator of the level of good endurance training. The type of test affects the response of the heart rate; however, the exercise capacity is much more intense in endurance sportsmen. Consequently, improvement after physical training in athletes can be transposed to patients and in different population groups, which is an additional argument to reaffirm the value of physical rehabilitation.