By which i mean, what actually is/are the mechanisms involved in gaining “good cardio”?
Do you increase production of red blood cells, so you can literally carry more oxygen to your muscles?
Or do the pathways widen, allowing more red blood cells to flow in and out of muscles?
Or do the muscles rearrange in structure, making them more efficient, so that they can produce more output for the same amount of energy?
Or is it something else entirely?
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[This](https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6557987/#:~:text=Exercise%20improves%20cardiovascular%20health%20by,angiogenesis%20(107–110)) source gives a decent explanation. “Some benefits of exercise include enhanced mitochondrial function, restoration and improvement of vasculature, and the release of myokines from skeletal muscle that preserve or augment cardiovascular function. In this review we will discuss the mechanisms through which exercise promotes cardiovascular health.”
Improvement of vasculature might mean new veins/arteries/capillaries, as well as clearer existing. A friend had a heart attack because he had a blockage, but doctors told him that because of all his tennis, he had developed lots of peripheral vasculature, so no permanent damage was done.
The mitochondrial changes are, to my knowledge, the main explanation for increased energy.
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