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Background— Aerobic power declines with age. The degree to which this decline is reversible remains unclear. In a 30-year longitudinal follow-up study, the cardiovascular adaptations to exercise training in 5 middle-aged men previously trained in 1966 were evaluated to assess the degree to which the age-associated decline in aerobic power is attributable to deconditioning and to gain insight into the specific mechanisms involved.

Methods and Results— The cardiovascular response to acute submaximal and maximal exercise were assessed before and after a 6-month endurance training program. On average, V̇o_2max increased 14% (2.9 versus 3.3 L/min), achieving the level observed at the baseline evaluations 30 years before. Likewise, V̇o_2max increased 16% when indexed to total body mass (31 versus 36 mL/kg per minute) or fat-free mass (44 versus 51 mL/kg fat-free mass per minute). Maximal …