Effects of Short-term Exercise Training on Cardiorespiratory Fitness of Male Adults with Myocardial Infarction

[Purpose] The purpose of this study was to determine the effects of short-term exercise training on the cardiorespiratory fitness (CRF) of individuals suffering from myocardial infarction. [Subjects] A total of 60 participants were divided into experimental (EXP; n=30, mean age 56.7 ± 2.8 years, body mass 80.7 ± 10.7 kg, body height 171.9 ± 7.2 cm) and control (CON; n=30, mean age 56.5 ± 3.1 years, body mass 84.4 ± 12.4 kg, body height 171.5 ± 12.4 cm) groups. [Methods] The members of the EXP group took part in an organized daily physical exercise program (Monday through Sunday), for a period of 3 weeks. The exercise program consisted of 60 min daily specialized fitness exercises with an intensity ranging from 55-70% of the maximum heart rate, which was determined by test on a bicycle ergometer. The effects of the exercise were monitored by means of the following parameters: maximum oxygen uptake (VO2peak), resting heart rate, systolic blood pressure and diastolic blood pressure. [Results] The results indicate statistically significant post-exercise improvements in heart rate, relative oxygen uptake and systolic blood pressure, among the members of the EXP group. The results indicate that at the initial measurement of cardiorespiratory fitness no statistically significant differences were found between the groups at the multivariate level (Wilk's λ=0.83), while statistically significant differences in the cardiorespiratory fitness were found at the final measurement (Wil's λ=0.430). [Conclusion] The obtained results indicate that the exercise program, which lasted for a period of 21 days, though shorter in duration than other programs still led to statistically significant changes in the CRF of individuals suffering from MI.