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 ?
Effect of aerobic and resistance exercise on central hemodynamic responses in severe chronic heart failure.
Exercise is now considered an important component of management in chronic heart failure ( CHF ) , but little is known about central hemodynamic changes that occur during different exercise modalities in these patients . Seventeen patients ( ejection fraction 25 + /- 2 % ) undertook brachial artery and right heart catheterization and oxygen consumption assessment at rest , during submaximal and peak cycling ( Cyc ) , and during submaximal upper and lower limb resistance exercise .  Cardiac output ( CO ) increased relative to baseline during peak Cyc ( P < 0.05 ) but did not change during submaximal Cyc or upper or lower limb exercise .  Heart rate ( HR ) was lowest during upper limb exercise and progressively increased during lower limb exercise , submaximal Cyc , and peak Cyc , with significant differences between each of these ( P < 0.01 ) . Conversely , stroke volume ( SV ) decreased during submaximal Cyc and lower limb exercise and was lower during peak and submaximal Cyc and lower limb exercise than during upper limb exercise ( P < 0.05 ) . CHF patients are dependent on increases in HR to increase CO during exercise when SV may decline . Resistance exercise , performed at appropriate intensity , induces a similar hemodynamic burden to aerobic exercise in patients with CHF
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 ?