ACSM Clinical Exercise Physiologist (CEP) Practice Exam 2026 – Your Comprehensive All-in-One Prep Guide for Success!

The resting cardiac output typically remains the same for both trained and untrained individuals. While regular endurance training enhances the efficiency of the cardiovascular system and can improve the heart's performance during exercise, at rest, cardiac output is generally unaffected.

Resting cardiac output is determined by factors such as heart rate and stroke volume. In trained individuals, the heart often pumps more efficiently and with a greater stroke volume, allowing for a lower resting heart rate. This adaptation means that even though the heart is more efficient, the total volume of blood pumped at rest (cardiac output) does not significantly change between trained and untrained individuals.

While individuals may experience significant changes in cardiac output during exercise due to improved cardiovascular adaptations from training, these changes do not apply to the resting state where the body's demands are lower.