Training Techniques in Cardiac Rehabilitation

Written by four internationally recognized experts, this practical guide is packed with innovative ideas for prescribing safe, effective exercise programs that patients will enjoy! Because the activities are more fun than traditional programs, patients are more likely to make a long-term commitment to exercise--a step that can

- reduce risk factors,
- increase functional capacity,
- improve psychosocial well-being,
- help alleviate depression,
- increase longevity,
- relieve symptoms,
- promote greater self-efficacy, and
- improve overall quality of life.

Training Techniques in Cardiac Rehabilitation provides in-depth information to help practitioners make informed decisions about the broad scope of nontraditional programs currently available for an increasing variety of cardiac patients.
Drawing on extensive research and vast personal experience in program implementation and benefits, the authors provide a variety of rehabilitation alternatives and a clear explanation of how, when, where, and why to use each.

Chapter 1 presents an overview of current knowledge about exercise prescription for cardiac patients, including absolute contraindications for exercise, questionable cases, basic principles of assessment and prescription, the effects of specific drugs on a patient's capacity for exercise, how to increase adherence, and results to expect.

The following three chapters focus on less traditional exercise programs. Chapter 2 explores various resistive training methods, including calisthenics, elastic bands and free weights, and machine-based exercises. Sound guidelines show practitioners how to develop programs to meet each patient's specific needs.

Chapter 3 provides extensive information on the safety issues and underlying principles of aquatic exercise prescription. It presents all the information practitioners need to prescribe safe, appropriate aquatic activity programs, and discusses specific aquatic exercises such as water walking, water aerobics, swimming, water volleyball, and inner tube games.

Chapter 4 presents games and activities designed for pairs or groups. These activities offer cardiac patients entertaining ways to strengthen muscles, increase aerobic conditioning, and enhance flexibility. The chapter describes 11 continuous movement activities, 18 exercises, and 8 games, and it explains the rehabilitative benefits of each activity.

All of the exercises in Training Techniques in Cardiac Rehabilitation are consistent with AACVPR guidelines. The authors include extensive discussions of safety issues and contraindications for each type of exercise program. Plus, photographs and drawings throughout the book illustrate proper techniques and positions for the exercises and games.

With these comprehensive, diversified programs, practitioners will be able to identify the safest, most effective way to help each patient.

Paul Fardy is a professor of family, nutrition, and exercise sciences and the director of Physical Activity and Teenage Health (PATH) at Queens College. A pioneer in developing comprehensive hospital-based programs, Dr. Fardy participated in the National Exercise and Heart Disease Project (NEHDP), a major research trial in cardiac rehabilitation, and has authored or edited six books and more than 100 publications on cardiac rehabilitation. In 1996 he received the Outstanding Alumni Award from the State University of New York, the Outstanding Research Award from the New York chapter of the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM), and the Henn Award for health education from the New York State Health Department. He was also awarded the 1995 National Award from ACSM for promoting Healthy People 2000 objectives. Dr. Fardy lives in Point Lookout, New York, where he enjoys jogging, biking, beach volleyball, and classical music.

Barry Franklin's credentials include past positions as president of AACVPR, vice president of ACSM, and editor-in-chief of the Journal of Cardiopulmonary Rehabilitation. A recipient of AACVPR's Distinguished Service Award and Award of Excellence and the San Diego County Medical Society's Media Award, he's written, edited, or contributed to more than 200 publications on exercise testing and cardiac rehabilitation, including AACVPR's Guidelines for Cardiovascular Rehabilitation Programs and the recent Clinical Practice Guideline on Cardiac Rehabilitation sponsored by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and the Agency for Health Care Policy and Research, National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute. Dr. Franklin is currently director of the cardiac rehabilitation and exercise laboratories at William Beaumont Hospital and a professor of physiology at Wayne State University School of Medicine in West Bloomfield, Michigan. He and his wife, Linda, reside in Detroit. His leisure-time activities include golf and distance walking.

A member of AACVPR's board of directors, John Porcari is executive director of the oldest university-based--and possibly the best known--cardiac rehabilitation program in the United States: LaCrosse Exercise and Health Program. Dr. Porcari organizes five cardiac rehabilitation, exercise physiology, and pulmonary rehabilitation workshops annually. He has received more than 40 exercise-related research grants, and in 1995 he received the Distinguished Service Award from AACVPR. An avid hunter and recreational fisherman, Dr. Porcari lives in LaCrosse, Wisconsin, with his wife, Marggi, and their two children.

David Verrill is the director of the cardiovascular testing laboratory for Mid Carolina Cardiology and helps to administer cardiac resistive training for the 300 patients of the Mecklenburg Cardiac Rehabilitation Program. In 1996, he coauthored an article published in Sports Medicine that received wide acclaim as the most comprehensive research-based article on cardiac weight training to date. Mr. Verrill has presented at state and national conventions, and in 1996 he was named a Fellow of the AACVPR. He has published position papers on body composition assessment and patient monitoring for the North Carolina Cardiopulmonary Rehabilitation Association (NCCRA) and has chaired both the publications and exercise science committees for that state. The NCCRA has awarded him both the Distinguished Service Award and the Award of Excellence. Mr. Verrill, who enjoys basketball, running, skiing, and gardening, and his wife, Susanne, make their home in Matthews, North Carolina.

All four authors are members of AACVPR and ACSM.