Resistance training increased 6-minute walk distance compared to no training , but had no other benefits on cardiac function , exercise capacity , or quality of life if used alone or as an adjunct to aerobic training in people with chronic heart failure .
QUESTION Does resistance training , either alone or as an adjunct to aerobic training , improve cardiac function , exercise capacity and quality of life in people with chronic heart failure ?
Is strength training the more efficient training modality in chronic heart failure?
PURPOSE An open , r and omized , controlled study was design ed to study the effects of exclusive strength training ( ST ) in patients with severe chronic heart failure ( CHF ) in comparison with conventional endurance ( ET ) and combined ET-ST training ( CT ) . The hypothesis was that ST would at least be equal to ET or CT , because peripheral muscle atrophy and weakness play a key role in exercise limitation in CHF patients . METHODS Three groups of 15 patients underwent ST , ET , or CT during 40 sessions , three times a week , for 45 min . Fifteen patients served as control group . Before and after intervention , left ventricular ejection fraction ( LVEF ) , peak oxygen consumption ( VO2peak ) , peak workload , thigh muscle volume , knee extensor strength , endurance , and quality of life ( QoL ) were assessed . RESULTS All measured parameters improved significantly in the three training groups , except for knee extensor strength in ET . Training outcome was superior in all three training groups compared with the control group , but statistical significance was only reached for VO2peak and peak workload , thigh muscle volume , and knee extensor endurance . In contrast , knee extensor strength , LVEF , and QoL did not reach statistical significance . None of the training modalities proved to be superior to any other , although small differences between the three groups were observed . CONCLUSION Independently of the training modality , intensive exercise training is efficient in increasing cardiac function , exercise capacity , peripheral muscle function , and QoL in CHF patients
Resistance training increased 6-minute walk distance compared to no training , but had no other benefits on cardiac function , exercise capacity , or quality of life if used alone or as an adjunct to aerobic training in people with chronic heart failure .
QUESTION Does resistance training , either alone or as an adjunct to aerobic training , improve cardiac function , exercise capacity and quality of life in people with chronic heart failure ?