Abstract

The effect of circuit training on blood pressure (BP) and strength were evaluated for 6 months in 16 middle-aged (x=55.8 y.) men in a metropolitan cardiac rehabilitation program. Circuit training consisted of 12 to 20 repetitions at 30 to 40 of one repetition maximum on 12 Nautilus exercises with one-minute rests between exercises. This strength conditioning was supplemental to the patients aerobic exercise. 5 of the patients had myocardial infarctions, 6 had coronary artery bypass grafts, 2 had ventricular arrhythmias, 1 had angioplasty, and 2 had a complex of other cardiac conditions. Average height, weight, and body fat for the 16 patients were 179.3 cm, 82.4 kg, and 24.6, respectively. Blood pressure (BP) data indicated no change in mean systolic or diastolic values during actual circuit training sessions (initial = 122/77mmHg, mid=124/78mmHg, end =122/76mmHg). These data were compared with corresponding sets of BP at 3 and 6 months of training and no significant differences were seen. In no instance did circuit training appear to elevate a patients BP above clinically acceptable levels for controlled hypertension. In the 6 months, significant increases in strength were observed with a mean increment of 8.2kg or 22 for all 12 exercises. No changes occurred in body weight or percentage of fat. For selected patients in cardiac rehabilitation programs, a carefully supervised, long-term program of low-resistance strength training appears to be safe with regard to BP response, and beneficial in terms of strength gain. Verf.-Ref.