Hydraulic resistance exercise benefits cardiovascular fitness of spinal cord injured.

The purpose of this investigation was to examine the effects of hydraulic resistance exercise training on fitness in spinal cord injured patients. Ten subjects (five quadriplegics and five paraplegics; seven males and three females) participated in a 9-wk training program. Subjects trained 3 times/wk. The 9-wk program was divided into three, 3-wk periods, designated stages I, II, and III. A discontinuous arm crank protocol was used to assess VO2max before and after training. Assessment of the intensity of the hydraulic resistance exercise was made by continuous ECG monitoring during training. A 60 to 90% maximum observed heart rate was calculated for subjects. The spinal cord-injured subjects' VO2max increased 28.1%, and maximum exercise power output increased 36.7% as a result of the 9-wk training program. Both of these findings were statistically significant (P less than 0.01). The exercise intensity was within a 60 to 90% training zone during stages II and III but not during stage I training. The results of this study indicate that hydraulic resistance exercise training may produce increased cardiovascular fitness in spinal cord-injured subjects.