Contemporary Approaches to Prescribing Exercise in Coronary Artery Disease Patients

Health care professionals engaged in the management of coronary artery disease (CAD) patients, both in primary and secondary prevention settings, should possess the knowledge to develop and modify both aerobic exercise as well as musculoskeletal resistance exercise training programs. The traditional exercise prescription (ExRx) for aerobic-type exercise describes the intensity, frequency, duration, and mode of exercise, as well as the rate of progression. The more contemporary ExRx focuses on the energy expenditure associated with all physical activity not just structured exercise bouts. The total "volume or dose" of physical activity is associated with important health outcomes, including the potential to prevent and potentially reverse CAD lesions. Also, emerging evidence supporting the use of high-intensity interval training in CAD patients will also be provided. Furthermore, this review will also address the issue of generating an appropriate ExRx in the absence of maximal exercise "stress" test data, a common occurrence in the primary care setting and in this era of health care cost containment. Prescribing resistance exercise for CAD patients requires careful consideration and will be discussed in this review. Finally, this review will conclude with a section that describes the special considerations and/or modifications for some common comorbidities seen in CAD patients.