Exercise in chronic pulmonary disease: resistance exercise prescription

Exercise in chronic pulmonary disease resistance exercise prescription, Med . Sci. Sports Exerc. Vol. 33. No. 7, Suppl., pp. S680-S686, 2001. Resistanc e exercise training has received relatively little attention as a means to reduce the muscle dysfunction and ensuing exercise intolerance seen in chro nic pulmonary diseases. To date, only a few studies have examined the chara cteristics of skeletal muscle function or its responsiveness to strength tr aining in patients with chronic respiratory diseases. It is clear from thes e studies, however, that peripheral muscle, particularly muscles of ambulat ion, are weak in patients with lung disease, exhibiting effort-dependent st rength scores that are 70-80%; of these measures in age-matched healthy sub jects. The degree to which this dysfunction is accounted for by decondition ing, disease-related myopathy, or other causes is unclear. It is evident, h owever, that patients with chronic respiratory diseases can acquire and mai ntain substantial improvements in skeletal muscle function, physical functi on, and quality of life through participation in a well-structured program of resistance exercise training. Despite the positive. albeit limited, evid ence that skeletal muscle dysfunction may be improved with resistance train ing, no clear guidelines are available for this purpose. This review discus ses the skeletal muscle dysfunction that accompanies chronic respiratory di sease and presents strategies for resistance exercise training that mag. he considered as part of pulmonary rehabilitation. These strategies are deriv ed from the successful outcomes noted in studies using resistance training in patients with COPD as well as on extrapolations from extant guidelines u sed to develop strength, power, and endurance in healthy individuals.