Skip to main content

REVIEW article

Front. Cardiovasc. Med.
Sec. Precision Cardiology
Volume 11 - 2024 | doi: 10.3389/fcvm.2024.1380639
This article is part of the Research Topic Personalized Physical Activity and Exercise in Preventive Cardiology View all 4 articles

Exercise Intensity Prescription in Cardiovascular Rehabilitation: Bridging the Gap Between Best Evidence and Clinical Practice

Provisionally accepted
Juliana G. Milani Juliana G. Milani 1,2*Mauricio Milani Mauricio Milani 1,2,3Kenneth Verboven Kenneth Verboven 4Gerson Cipriano Jr Gerson Cipriano Jr 2,5Dominique Hansen Dominique Hansen 3,6*
  • 1 Rehabilitation Research Center (REVAL), Faculty of Rehabilitation Sciences, University of Hasselt, Hasselt, Belgium
  • 2 Graduate Programme in Health Sciences and Technologies, University of Brasilia, Brasilia, Distrito Federal, Brazil
  • 3 Heart Centre Hasselt, Jessa Hospital, Hasselt, Limburg, Belgium
  • 4 Rehabilitation Research Center (REVAL), Faculty of Rehabilitation Sciences and Biomedical Research Institute (BIOMED), Faculty of Medicine and Life Sciences., University of Hasselt, Hasselt, Limburg, Belgium
  • 5 Graduate Program in Human Movement and Rehabilitation of Evangelical (PPGMHR), University Center of Anápolis, Anápolis, Brazil
  • 6 Rehabilitation Research Center (REVAL), Faculty of Rehabilitation Sciences and Biomedical Research Institute (BIOMED), Faculty of Medicine and Life Sciences, University of Hasselt, Hasselt, Limburg, Belgium

The final, formatted version of the article will be published soon.

    Optimizing endurance exercise intensity prescription is crucial to maximize the clinical benefits and minimize complications for individuals at risk for or with cardiovascular disease (CVD). However, standardization remains incomplete due to variations in clinical guidelines. This review provides a practical and updated guide for health professionals on how to prescribe endurance exercise intensity for cardiovascular rehabilitation (CR) populations, addressing international guidelines, practical applicability across diverse clinical settings and resource availabilities. In the context of CR, cardiopulmonary exercise test (CPET) is considered the gold standard assessment, and prescription based on ventilatory thresholds (VTs) is the preferable methodology. In settings where this approach isn't accessible, which is frequently the case in low-resource environments, approximating VTs involves combining objective assessments—ideally, exercise tests without gas exchange analyses, but at least alternative functional tests like the 6-minute walk test—with subjective methods for adjusting prescriptions, such as Borg's ratings of perceived exertion and the Talk Test. Therefore, enhancing exercise intensity prescription and offering personalized physical activity guidance to patients at risk for or with CVD rely on aligning workouts with individual physiological changes. A tailored prescription promotes a consistent and impactful exercise routine for enhancing health outcomes, considering patient preferences and motivations. Consequently, the selection and implementation of the best possible approach should consider available resources, with an ongoing emphasis on strategies to improve the delivery quality of exercise training in the context of FITT-VP prescription model (frequency, intensity, time, type, volume, and progression).

    Keywords: Exercise, physical activity, Cardiac Rehabilitation, Cardiovascular health, cardiovascular disease, Heart disease risk factors, Exercise Test, Health

    Received: 01 Feb 2024; Accepted: 01 Aug 2024.

    Copyright: © 2024 Milani, Milani, Verboven, Cipriano Jr and Hansen. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.

    * Correspondence:
    Juliana G. Milani, Rehabilitation Research Center (REVAL), Faculty of Rehabilitation Sciences, University of Hasselt, Hasselt, Belgium
    Dominique Hansen, Rehabilitation Research Center (REVAL), Faculty of Rehabilitation Sciences and Biomedical Research Institute (BIOMED), Faculty of Medicine and Life Sciences, University of Hasselt, Hasselt, 3500, Limburg, Belgium

    Disclaimer: All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.