Even if super-active athletes have more plaque, the amount of calcium in each spot, how big it is, and where it’s located doesn’t get worse the more they’ve exercised.

For older male athletes who exercise a lot, doing very hard workouts (like sprinting or intense cycling) seems to be linked to more calcium buildup in the heart arteries over time, while moderate hard workouts might not have the same effect.

For older male athletes, how much they exercise overall doesn’t seem to affect whether their heart arteries get more clogged over time—it’s more about how hard they push during workouts.

For older male athletes, how much they exercise overall doesn’t seem to affect whether their heart arteries get more calcium buildup over time—it’s more about how hard they push during workouts.

For older male athletes, doing hard but not extreme workouts (like steady running or cycling) seems to be linked to less calcium buildup in heart arteries over time, compared to doing ultra-intense workouts.

Men who have exercised very intensely and for many years are more likely to have calcium deposits and plaque in their heart arteries than those who exercised less, even though they tend to live longer.