(International Journal of Cardiology, 2017) Villelabeitia Jaureguizar, Koldobika; Vicente Campos, Davinia; Berenguel Senen, Alejandro; Hernández Jiménez, Verónica; Barrios Garrido-Lestache, María Elvira; López Chicharro, José
Background: Heart rate recovery (HRR) has been considered a prognostic and
mortality indicator in both healthy and coronary patients. Physical exercise
prescription has shown improvements in VO2peak and HRR, but most of the studies
have been carried out applying continuous training at a moderate intensity, being very
limited the use of protocols of high intensity interval training in coronary patients.
We aimed to compare the effects of a moderate continous training (MCT) versus a
high intensity interval training (HIIT) programme on VO2 peak and HRR.
Methods: Seventy three coronary patients were assigned to either HIIT or MCT groups
for 8 weeks. Incremental exercise tests in a cycloergometer were performed to obtain
VO2peak data and heart rate was monitored during and after the exercise test to
obtain heart rate recovery data.
Results: Both exercise programmes significantly increase VO2peak with a higher
increase in the HIIT group (HIIT: 4.5± 4.46 ml/kg/min vs MCT: 2.46±3.57 ml/kg/min;
P=0.039). High intensity interval training resulted in a significantly increase in HRR at
the first and second minute of the recovery phase (15,44±7,04 vs 21,22 ±6,62, P
<0,0001 and 23,73±9,64 vs 31,52±8,02, p <0,0001, respectively).
Conclusions: The results of our research show that the application of HIIT to patients
with chronic ischemic heart disease of low risk resulted in an improvement in VO2peak,
and also improvements in post-exercise heart-rate recovery, compared with
continuous training.
