†These authors contributed equally.
Academic Editors: Kazuhiro P. Izawa and Peter H. Brubaker
Background: Aerobic exercise, either continuous or high intensity
interval training (HIIT), induces important benefits in chronic heart failure
(CHF) patients. Resistance training has been also shown to be beneficial in CHF.
However, data regarding combined aerobic exercise and muscle strength training is
still limited. The aim of this study was to investigate whether adding strength
training to a HIIT protocol within a cardiac rehabilitation (CR) program has a
cumulative beneficial effect on the functional capacity (FC) and quality of life
(QoL) in patients with CHF. Methods: Forty-four consecutive patients [35
males, ejection fraction (EF)