Power athletes include those individuals who train with high resistive muscle loads, such as weight lifters, and others who train with predominance of high muscle tension, with an added element of endurance training, such as endurance skaters and some gymnasts. Cardiovascular adaptations to these forms of physical training thus occur with chronic repetitive isometric exercise, with high-resistance isotonic exercise, or, most commonly, with a combination of both. This article focuses on cardiovascular adaptations to isometric exercise, the predominant form of exercise performed by power athletes. This form of activity is more accurately termed static exercise because frequently there is a slight lengthening of the tendons and shortening of muscles even when there is contraction against a fixed object. In reality, static exercise training occurs during high-resistance forms of stress. As noted, common activities in this category include weight lifting, circuit training, shot putting, wrestling, hammer throw, body building, gymnastics, rock climbing, ballet, and rowing. In addition, some professional athletes, such as football and basketball players, use weight lifting to build strength. All of these activities involve components of both static and dynamic exercise so that cardiovascular adaptations specific to both forms of exercise occur with chronic repetition. Activities requiring primarily high-resistance exercise training, however, have been found to elicit adaptations that are distinct from those evoked by exercise that is primarily dynamic in nature (i.e., long distance running). <sup>86 Schaibel T.F., Scheuer J. Cardiac adaptations to chronic exercise Prog Cardiovasc Dis 1985 ;  27 : 297

Cliquez ici pour aller à la section Références</sup> One explanation for the observed differences in cardiovascular adaptation to physical training with static or dynamic exercise likely relates to the duration of each bout of training. While training, it generally is possible to perform dynamic exercise for longer periods than with static exercise because fatigue occurs more quickly with the latter form of activity. To understand better why static exercise results in earlier fatigue, it is necessary to examine the acute cardiovascular responses to this form of stress and to compare and contrast them with responses to dynamic exercise.