Grant: Travel Awards - Institute Community Support

Strength Training (ST) is recommended for people with chronic lung disease (COPD) since improves performance of daily activities (e.g. sit-to-stand, stair climbing and unsupported arm tasks). Guideline for rehabilitating muscles in these patients is lacking. What we know has come from few published studies demonstrating the excellent trainability of COPD patients and from extrapolations of guidelines developed for healthy population. Current recommendations include a progressive, high-intensity ST (70%of the maximum load that can be lifted). The principle of overload is critical, with increase in load over time required to maximize gains. Debate exits though about whether these patients are achieving the desired training loads. Health professionals prescribing ST are often concerned about possible onset of intolerable symptoms and stress on cardiac and respiratory systems when achieving heavy weights as opposed to light loads. Comparing cardiorespiratory responses to different exercise intensities could assist in standardizing ST prescription in COPD. We measured breathing, oxygen consumption, heart rate, blood pressure and level of exertion during ST exercises done at low and high intensity in people with COPD; and compared their responses with healthy individuals. Participants performed one set of 10 repetitions of leg extension and arm elevation at 40% and 80% of individuals' maximum. No differences in cardiopulmonary parameters were observed between low and high intensity in COPD group. Responses were similar to what was observed in healthy adults, regardless of intensity. COPD patients reported greater exertion after high- versus low-intensity exercise; however, they perceived this effort at same level as their healthy counterparties. If the training goal is to increase the ability to perform tasks that are above the current level of tolerance, higher intensities are likely to elicit greater performance and may be targeted without detriment to the patient.