To test the hypothesis that chronic exercise may improve tolerance to hypoxia in aged hearts, we compared cardiac function of exercised rats to that of their age-matched, nonexercised controls. Right ventricular papillary muscles were removed from young adult (9 mo) and old (24-26 mo) male Fischer 344 rats that were chronically exercised on a rodent treadmill and from their age-matched, nonexercised controls. During isometric contraction, hypoxia depressed contraction and relaxation in all muscles, but to a lesser extent in the exercised groups. A significant exercise effect was observed in the following variables: the maximum developed tension, the maximum rate of tension development, the maximum rate of tension decline, and the time required for the hypoxia to reduce maximum tension by 20%. The maximum rate of tension decline was more sensitive to hypoxia than was the maximum rate of tension development in all groups. Exercise also had an effect on the temperature dependence of cardiac performance during hypoxia. Thus, chronic exercise results in the preservation of both contraction and relaxation during hypoxia for aged as well as young adult hearts.