Adherence
Weightlifting training improves muscle strength, exercise endurance, and subjective mastery in patients with chronic airflow limitation, despite failing to improve maximum aerobic capacity or pulmonary function.
If you have severe COPD, standard aerobic exercise might be too breathless to sustain. Try weightlifting instead. Lift weights 3 times a week, starting light (50% of your max lift) and getting heavier (up to 85%) over 8 weeks. Focus on arms and legs. You likely won't run further or breathe better on paper, but you will get stronger, last longer during daily tasks, and feel more in control of your life.
Weightlifting training may be successfully used in patients with chronic airflow limitation, with benefits in muscle strength, exercise endurance, and subjective responses to some of the demands of daily living.
Why this rating
Randomized controlled trial with stratification, though small sample size (n=28 analyzed) and short duration (8 weeks).
Source
Randomised controlled trial of weightlifting exercise in patients with chronic airflow limitation.
K Simpson et al. · Thorax · 1992
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