Resistance training during cardiac rehabilitation improves physical performance in patients with coronary artery disease: a randomised controlled trial. (11th May 2022)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Kambic, T; Hadzic, V; Sarabon, N; Lainscak, M
• Is Part Of: European journal of preventive cardiology. Volume 29(2022)Supplement 1
• Publication Date: 2022-05-11
• Subjects: Cardiovascular system -- Diseases -- Prevention -- Periodicals; Cardiac patients -- Rehabilitation -- Periodicals; 616.12
• DOI: 10.1093/eurjpc/zwac056.241
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 2047-4873

Abstract

Abstract: Funding Acknowledgements: Type of funding sources: Public grant(s) – National budget only. Main funding source(s): Slovenian Research Agency Background: Resistance training (RT) is an adjunct exercise therapy to aerobic training (AT) in cardiac rehabilitation, but it remains unknown whether the dose-dependent relationship between RT load (high load [HL] vs. low load [LL]) and improvement in anthropometry, body composition and physical performance exists in patients with coronary artery disease (CAD). Purpose: The aim of our study was to investigate the effects of HL-RT and LL-RT on top of AT in comparison to AT on anthropometry, body composition and physical performance in patients with CAD. Methods: A total of 79 patients with a stable CAD were randomised to HL-RT+AT (n = 21), LL-RT+AT (n = 19) or AT (n = 19) and performed 36 training sessions. Fifty-nine patients with mean (SD) age 61 (8) years and left ventricular ejection fraction 53 (9) % completed the study. AT progressed from 50 % to 80% of peak power output achieved at baseline cardiopulmonary exercise test, and RT progressed from 70% of one repetition maximum (1-RM) to 80% of 1-RM in HL-RT group, and from 35% of 1-RM to 40% of 1-RM in LL-RT group. We measured anthropometry (body mass, waist and hip circumference, and waist to hip circumference ratio), body composition (lean body mass and %, body fat mass and %, and phase angle) and physical performance evaluating upper muscle strength (arm curl and hand grip test) and lower muscle strength (five sit-to stand test, up-and-go test, heel raise test), mobility (gait speed test), flexibility (back scratch test, sit-and-reach test), balance (stork balance test) and submaximal endurance (6 min walk test distance) at baseline and post-training. Results: Waist circumference and waist-to-hip circumference ratio decreased significantly following LL-RT (both p < 0.01), without post-training differences between training interventions in other anthropometry measures and body composition measures (all p > 0.079). HL-RT and LL-RT induced improvements in all physical performance measures, while AT alone did not improve gait speed, upper limb flexibility and performance of up-and-go test. HL-RT was associated with greater improvement in gait speed (+12 %, p =0.044), arm curl test (+13 %, p = 0.037) and time of Up-and-go test (+9 %, p <0.001) compared to AT group, while LL-RT improved more time of Up-and-Go test (+18 %, p < 0.001) and time of five sit-to-stands (+14 %, p = 0.016) compared to AT. There was no difference between HL-RT and LL-RT in post-training change of physical performance measures. Conclusions: The addition of RT to AT is associated with greater improvements in submaximal muscle strength and mobility compared to AT and should be encouraged in future multimodal exercise-based cardiac rehabilitation.