Article

Updated cardiac rehabilitation (CR) and return-to-work guidelines from
the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) now include specificity of
training for industrial athletes (exercise training that involves the muscle
groups, movements, and energy systems that these patients use during occupational
tasks). However, many CR facilities do not apply this principle, relying instead
on the traditional protocol that consists primarily of aerobic exercise. This
study was conducted to measure the metabolic cost of typical farming tasks and to
compare 2 methods of calculating training intensities. METHODS: Metabolic data
were collected from 28 participants (23 men and 5 women, aged 18 to 57 years)
while they loaded 10 hay bales, dug a fence posthole, filled 8 seed hoppers, and
shoveled grain. RESULTS: Mean metabolic equivalent levels during these activities
were 5.9 to 7.6 and participants reached 60% to 70% of heart rate reserve (HRR).
By comparison, their mean resting heart rate + 30 beats per minute (RHR+30, a
traditional CR intensity level) represented only 28% of HRR. CONCLUSIONS:
Participants in the current study performed farming tasks within the ACSM's
recommended range of 40% to 80% of HRR, and the results suggest that training at
RHR+30 would have been inadequate for helping a farmer return to work after a
cardiac event. Using the study tasks as a basis, we described exercises that
would be appropriate for the supervised resistance training of farmers in a CR
setting.

Langue : ANGLAIS