The Cardiovascular Response to Circuit Weight Training in Patients With Cardiac Disease

To determine if a program of upper-body strengthening can be safely performed by patients with cardiac disease, the cardiovascular responses of 13 men with known coronary artery disease were evaluated during a regime of upper-body circuit weight training and traditional aerobic exercise. Changes in heart rate (HR), blood pressure (BP), electrocardiogram (ECG), and segmental left ventricular wall motion were compared. Circuit weight training consisted of eight exercise stations. Each subject completed two circuits while performing ten repetitions per station at 40% to 60% of one-movement maximum with 60 seconds of rest between stations. Aerobic exercise consisted of 35 minutes of treadmill exercise at 85% maximal HR. No ischemic ECG responses or dysrhythmias occurred during either exercise period. Similar increases in HR were observed during circuit weight training and aerobic exercise (33 ± 4 and 39 ± 3 beats/min, respectively (mean ± SEM). During aerobic exercise, systolic and diastolic BP increased by 37 ± 4 (P