Effects of a Long-term Physical Training Program on Pulmonary and Systemic Aspects in Patients With Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease

Several impairing factors contribute to physical limitation in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) as deconditioning, muscle dysfunction and physical inactivity. The available literature clearly indicates that these therapeutic targets benefit from exercise training in patients with COPD and, currently, the key point is not whether patients should or not exercise, but which is the specific contribution of each exercise modality to this population. About this topic, the characteristics of a physical training program to be offered to patients have been a point discussed among researchers in this field, although recently the high-intensity training has been recognized as superior in comparison to the low-intensity training. Literature also indicates that, in order to change the sedentary lifestyle of patients with COPD, long-term training programs are indicated. However, a doubt still remains: if long-term programs are one of the key points to reduce physical inactivity, it is not yet clear whether it is necessary to include high-intensity exercises in that long-term program. If the duration is the only factor influencing the outcomes of the program, thus the intensity of training could be reduced, increasing the adherence of patients to the protocol. Based on this hypothesis, the aim of this study is to compare the effects of two physical training protocols in a long-term rehabilitation program (6 months) in patients with COPD: a high-intensity protocol (based on endurance and resistive training) and a low-intensity protocol (based on callisthenic and breathing exercises training). It is expected that the results of this study contribute to the scientific literature by demonstrating whether low- and high-intensity training contribute equally to change the sedentary lifestyle of patients after a long-term exercise program.