Abstract
The purpose of this review is to describe the impact of endurance and strength physical training on the cardiovascular system by reviewing the molecular signaling pathways, which plays a key role in different muscle adaptations, and the cardiac changes in terms of metabolic and cardiac remodeling, and hemodynamics. In response to endurance-exercise, multiple signaling pathways, including Ca2+-dependent pathways, reactive oxygen species (ROS), AMP-dependent protein kinase (AMPK), and mitogen activated protein kinases (p38 MAPK), are involved in the regulation of peroxisome-proliferator-activated receptor-γ coactivator-1α (PGC-1α), which controls the mitochondrial biogenesis. Strength training increases the insulin-like growth factor (IGF-1) which initiates the phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI3-k)-(AKT)-(mTOR) signaling cascade, resulting in the synthesis of proteins and the muscle hypertrophy. In addition to the well-documented changes in skeletal muscle, a critical component of the response to exercise training is the dynamic cardiac remodeling, which is classified as either pathological or physiological depending on triggers.