Cardiopulmonary data in response to 6 months of training in physically active adult patients with classic cystic fibrosis.

Background: The optimal training mode for cystic fibrosis (CF) patients has not been defined.

Objective: This study aimed to investigate cardiopulmonary function before and after endurance (ET) or resistance training (RT) for 6 months.

Methods: Twenty physically active adult patients (8 females) with classic CF were enrolled for ET or RT for 3 months followed by 3 months of mixed training. Training was recorded by telemetry and in diaries and lasted 30-45 min, three times a week. Lung function and peak oxygen uptake (VO(2)) were measured. Mean +/- SD predicted percentage of forced expiratory volume in 1 s (FEV(1) %) was 91 +/- 21%; maximal workload (W) was 170 +/- 31 in females and 273 +/- 54 in males.

Results: Nineteen patients completed the program, 3 at a lower and 1 at a higher training frequency than required. Maximal heart rate remained unchanged during the 6 months. Maximal VO(2)(liters x min(-1)) was significantly correlated to FEV(1) in males at baseline and 6 months (p = 0.006 and p = 0.04, respectively). Changes in maximal workload and maximal VO(2) improved significantly with ET compared with RT.

Conclusions: Physically active CF patients preserve good cardiopulmonary function into adulthood. The controlled training program did not lead to further improvement although ET induced larger changes than RT.