Lady J. García, Facultad de Medicina, Universidad Nacional de Colombia, Bogotá, Colombia
Germán D. Ochoa, Facultad de Medicina, Universidad de los Andes, Bogotá, Colombia
John Duperly, Facultad de Medicina, Universidad de los Andes; Departamento de Medicina Interna, Fundación Santa Fe de Bogotá, Programa de Rehabilitación Cardíaca. Bogotá, Colombia
Introduction: Increased quadriceps muscle strength has been shown to reduce cardiovascular mortality risk by 34% in patients with coronary heart disease. As muscle mass and strength decline progressively with age, cardiac rehabilitation plays a crucial role for older adults. Despite these benefits, adherence to cardiac rehabilitation programs remains low. Therefore, strategies that not only provide the benefits of strength training but also enhance adherence are essential for improving outcomes in this population. Objective: To evaluate the effect of twelve combined training sessions on lower limb strength in older adult attending a cardiac rehabilitation program two or three times per week. Materials and method: Patients included ninety-eight elderlies (≥ 60 years) (29 women, age: 67 ± 6 years; 69 males, age: 69.83 ± 6.5 years) attending a cardiac rehabilitation program in a university hospital in Bogotá city, Colombia. They were evaluated from January 2019-January 2020 before and after 12 training sessions two or three times per week, which included thirty minutes of cardiovascular aerobic and fifteen minutes of multifunctional strength training. Aerobic training was performed at 60-85% of the estimated maximal heart rate. Progressive resistance strength training included three sets of ten to fifteen repetitions of major muscle groups with a 50-70% estimated 1-repetition maximum (1-RM). Baseline and follow-up evaluation at the 12th. session was performed using a horizontal leg press machine with 1-RM estimation according to the Brzycki formula. Paired t-tests assessed pre/ post-training changes. Results: After twelve training sessions, a significant maximum strength increase was found, both for men (189.6 ± 42.6 vs. 203.0 ± 47.4; p = 0.000), and women (116.1 ± 18.8 vs. 140.6 ± 31.0; p = 0.000). Conclusions: This study showed that twelve sessions of combined training in older adults attending a cardiac rehabilitation program improved lower limb strength in less time than usually reported. This finding supports the importance and feasibility of including strength in addition to aerobic training to reduce cardiovascular risk in this growing population.
Keywords: Cardiac rehabilitation. Combined training. Strength training. Older adults. Low volume.
