FIGURE 6.

Whole body adaptations that contribute specifically to higher peak power or endurance performance. Although mainly neural and muscular adaptations improve peak power, for endurance performance various organs and tissues show major changes. To maximize $\dot{\text{V}}{\mathrm{\text{O}}}_{2\text{max}}$ and thereby endurance performance, changes in respiratory and cardiovascular function as well as adaptations in skeletal muscle are required. In skeletal muscle, the high mitochondrial density, elevated substrate (i.e., fatty acids and glucose) uptake and storage, myoglobin content, and increased vascularization all contribute to the elevated performance of endurance athletes. Strength training-induced adaptations include increased muscle protein synthesis (MPS) resulting in fiber hypertrophy and optimally myonuclear accretion. CD36, platelet glycoprotein 4; GLUT4, glucose transporter type 4; IMCL, intramyocellular lipids. See glossary for other abbreviations. Sport icon vectors were created by ibrandify/Freepik. Image created with BioRender.com, with permission.