The effect of different intensity modalities of resistance training on beat-to-beat blood pressure in cardiac patients.
BACKGROUND
Resistance training has been introduced in cardiac rehabilitation to give more benefit than traditional training. Haemodynamic evaluation of cardiac patients to resistance training has generally consisted of continuous HR monitoring and discontinuous blood pressure measurements.


METHODS
Blood pressure (BP) and heart rate (HR) responses to resistance training were evaluated using continuous monitoring (Finapres) during low (four sets of 17 repetitions at 40% of the one-repetition maximum strength [1-RM]) and high intensity resistance training (four sets of 10 repetitions at 70% of 1-RM) on a leg extension machine in 14 patients who participated in a rehabilitation programme. Work volume was identical in the low- and high-level resistance training.


RESULTS
The HR and systolic blood pressure (SBP) during low intensity resistance training were always larger than during high intensity (P<0.001). Peak SBP increased from set 1 to set 3 and 4 during both low and high intensity resistance training (P<0.05). Peak HR was larger in set 4 (95+/-11 bpm) than in set 1 only during low intensity resistance training (91+/-12 bpm) (P<0.05). One-minute recovery periods did not allow a return to baseline HR and SBP during both low and high intensity modalities.


CONCLUSIONS
The SBP and HR responses to resistance training are related to the duration of exercise. Sets with < or =10 repetitions of high intensity should be preferred to longer sets with low intensity. Pauses between exercise sets should exceed 1 min. Blood pressure should be measured during the last repetitions of the exercise set.
Lamotte
Michel
M
Department of Cardiology, Erasme Hospital, Free University of Brussel, 1070 Brussel, Belgium. mlamotte@ulb.ac.be
Niset
Georges
G
van de Borne
Philippe
P
D000368:Aged; D017130:Angioplasty; D001794:Blood Pressure; D001026:Coronary Artery Bypass; D003324:Coronary Artery Disease / Q000534:rehabilitation* / Q000601:surgery; D005081:Exercise Therapy; D005260:Female; D006339:Heart Rate; D006801:Humans; D007866:Leg / Q000502:physiology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D013997:Time Factors; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D014891:Weight Lifting