Arteries carry blood away from the heart (usually oxygenated blood, except for the pulmonary artery)

• The aorta is the largest artery in the body. It carries oxygenated blood away from the left ventricle to the body.
• The pulmonary artery carries deoxygenated blood away from the right ventricle to the lungs.

Veins carry blood to the heart (usually deoxygenated, except for the pulmonary vein)

• The vena cava is the largest vein in the body. It carries deoxygenated blood from the body back to the heart.
• The pulmonary vein returns oxygenated blood from the lungs to the heart.

Capillaries transport blood, nutrients and oxygen to cells in your organs and body systems.

• Capillaries have a semi-permeable membrane which allows certain cells to pass through

The main function of blood is to transport nutrients and oxygen to the cells of the body.

• red blood cells transport oxygen around the body
• white blood cells fight infection
• platelets clot blood to form scabs that prevent blood loss during injury
• plasma is the liquid part of blood

Red blood cells are very important for sport and physical activity because they contain haemoglobin.

Haemoglobin allows them to carry oxygen from the lungs to the working muscles.

Cardiac output is the volume of blood pumped by the heart per minute. It measures how efficiently the heart is working to supply oxygen and nutrients to the body.

Stroke Volume is the amount of blood pumped out of the left ventricle with each heartbeat.

Heart Rate is the number of times the heart beats per minute.

Cardiac Output = Stroke Volume × Heart Rate