title: Strength training increases maximum working capacity in patients with COPD--randomized clinical trial comparing three training modalities.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Skeletal muscle dysfunction contributes to exercise limitation in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Strength training increases muscle strength and muscle mass, but there is an ongoing debate on the additional effect concerning the exercise capacity. The purpose of this study was to compare the effects of three different exercise modalities in patients with COPD including endurance training (ET), progressive strength training (ST) and the combination of strength training and endurance training (CT).
  
  
  METHODS
  A prospective randomized trial.
  
  
  METHODS
  Thirty-six patients with COPD were randomly allocated either to ET, ST, or CT. Muscle strength, cardiopulmonary exercise testing, lung function testing and quality of life were assessed before and after a 12-week training period.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Exercise capacity (Wmax) increased significantly in all three training groups with increase of peak oxygen uptake (VO2peak) in all three groups, reaching statistical significance in the ET group and the CT group. Muscle strength (leg press, bench press, bench pull) improved in all three training groups, with a higher improvement in the ST (+39.3%, +20.9%, +20.3%) and the CT group (+43.3%, +18.1%, +21.6%) compared to the ET group (+20.4%, +6.4%, +12.1%).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Progressive strength training alone increases not only muscle strength and quality of life, but also exercise capacity in patients with COPD, which may have implications in prescription of training modality. CLINICALTRIALS.GOV IDENTIFIER: NCT01091623.
authors: Department of Internal Medicine II, Medical University of Vienna, Währinger Gürtel 18-20, 1090 Vienna, Austria. karin.vonbank@meduniwien.ac.at
authors: Karin
authors: K
authors: Vonbank
authors: Barbara
authors: B
authors: Strasser
authors: Jerzy
authors: J
authors: Mondrzyk
authors: Beatrice A
authors: BA
authors: Marzluf
authors: Bernhard
authors: B
authors: Richter
authors: Stephen
authors: S
authors: Losch
authors: Herbert
authors: H
authors: Nell
authors: Ventzislav
authors: V
authors: Petkov
authors: Paul
authors: P
authors: Haber
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D005080:Exercise Test / Q000379:methods; D005081:Exercise Therapy / Q000379:methods; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D053580:Muscle Strength / Q000502:physiology*; D018482:Muscle, Skeletal / Q000503:physiopathology; D010807:Physical Endurance / Q000502:physiology; D011446:Prospective Studies; D029424:Pulmonary Disease, Chronic Obstructive / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000534:rehabilitation*; D011788:Quality of Life; D055070:Resistance Training / Q000379:methods*; D015656:Respiratory Mechanics / Q000502:physiology; D016896:Treatment Outcome