Vnitr Lek 2006, 52(1):44-50

Interval and continual training in cardiovascular rehabilitation

L. Mífková^1,*, J. Siegelová¹, L. Vymazalová¹, H. Svačinová¹, P. Vank¹, R. Panovský², J. Meluzín², J. Vítovec²

¹ Klinika funkční diagnostiky a rehabilitace Lékařské fakulty MU a FN u sv. Anny, Brno, přednostka prof. MUDr. Jarmila Siegelová, DrSc.

² I. interní kardio-angiologická klinika Lékařské fakulty MU a FN u sv. Anny, Brno, přednosta prof. MUDr. Jiří Vítovec, CSc., FESC

The objective of the study was to evaluate the physiological effectiveness and the influence of two modifications of aerobic training (interval and continuous) on the physical performance in the patients with coronary heart disease. 38 males with coronary heart disease (age 60 ± 10.2 years) passed three months training programme of 60 min 3 times a week (10 min of warm up phase, 25 min of aerobic phase, 15 min of resistance training, 10 min of relaxing phase). Patients with coronarographically verified stenosis > 50 % luminal diameter and/or left ventricular ejection fraction lower than 40 % (n = 22) had in terms of aerobic phase interval training prescribed (30second work phases with work load intensity on the level of anaerobic threshold alternating with 60second recovery phases with intensity of 5 W); other patients (n = 16) passed aerobic phase of the programme with continual work load of intensity on the level of ventilatory anaerobic threshold. After the determination of three month rehabilitation programme the maximal achieved performance as well as aerobic capacity evaluated by spiroergometric examination statistically significantly increased in the group of patients with interval training and also in the group with continuous training. Despite the group with interval training performed 2.5-3 times less work in each training unit (p < 0.01), the performance and aerobic capacity parameters after the termination of three month programme did not statistically significantly differ from the group with continuous training. The advantage of the continuous training is a possibility to achieve an improvement also in the patients with left ventricular dysfunction and chronic coronary heart disease who could have worse tolerance of the continual work load.

Keywords: interval training; continuous training; coronary heart disease; cardiac rehabilitation

Received: September 8, 2005; Accepted: October 31, 2005; Published: January 1, 2006  Show citation