Assessment of a circuit of exercises through heart rate response.
OBJECTIVE
A circuit of seven exercises was designed for a cardiac population. This study evaluated whether the patients achieved their training heart rate during the circuit, recommended to be 70-85% of the maximum heart rate achieved during an exercise test.


METHODS
Patients were randomly allocated to a starting exercise to balance any order effect from performing the exercises in a given sequence. Each of the seven exercises was performed for 30 s, so one circuit lasted 3.5 min. The circuit was repeated five times.


METHODS
Twenty patients who had had myocardial infarctions within 6 weeks of the study participated.


RESULTS
Heart rate was measured to assess the stress placed on the cardiorespiratory system during the circuit. Measurements were taken at 10 and 20 s following the termination of each exercise and over two repetitions of the circuit (a total of 14 exercise periods).


CONCLUSIONS
Comparisons of the readings taken at 10 and 20 s indicated, contrary to previously published findings, that no significant heart rate deceleration occurred within this period. Every exercise maintained the mean heart rate within the specified band of 70-85% of the maximum heart rate achieved during the exercise test. The study has shown that the selected exercises were suitable for use during a cardiac rehabilitation programme.
Marcelino
J
J
Physiotherapy Service, Camden and Islington Health Services NHS Trust, Middlesex Hospital, London, UK.
Harms
M
M
D000368:Aged; D005080:Exercise Test; D005081:Exercise Therapy; D005260:Female; D006321:Heart / Q000503:physiopathology; D006339:Heart Rate; D006801:Humans; D008168:Lung / Q000503:physiopathology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D008991:Monitoring, Physiologic; D009203:Myocardial Infarction / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000534:rehabilitation*; D013312:Stress, Physiological / Q000503:physiopathology