Resistance training for patients with chronic heart failure

TL;DRAbstract

Chronic heart failure (CHF) patients are limited in functional capacity by muscle fatigue and breathlessness. The effects of resistance training on muscle strength and endurance and functional aerobic capacity were evaluated in 9 men (63 ± 11 years; mean ± s.d) with CHF (LVEF 26 ± 6%). Training comprised bilateral upper and lower body resistance exercises for 3 sessions per week for 11 weeks on hydraulic equipment. Before and after training, patients underwent assessment of strength and endurance (Merac isokinetic system), functional 6-minute walk and peak aerobic (V02peak) capacity. Basal forearm blood flow was measured using strain gauge venous occlusion plethysmography. Vagal tone was assessed using heart rate variability. No medical complications arose during training or testing sessions. There were increases in upper body strength (42 ± 8; P = 0.037) and increases in lower body strength (22 ± 9%, P = 0.044) and endurance (17 ± 11 % n.s). There were no significant changes in the av

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