Hemostatic responses to resistance training in patients with coronary artery disease.

PURPOSE: This study was undertaken to evaluate changes in coagulation and fibrinolytic responses to an acute bout of resistance training in patients with coronary artery disease.
METHODS: Fourteen low-to-moderate risk men (mean age, 57.6 +/- 9 years; body mass index, 26.7 +/- 4.0 kg/m) with known coronary artery disease participated in this study. All subjects were recruited from the hospital's outpatient cardiac rehabilitation program and none were participating in a resistance training exercise program at the time. Using 8 different resistance training devices, each subject performed 1 set of 10 repetitions to volitional fatigue, resting 1 minute between sets. Blood samples (5 mL) were drawn preexercise, immediate postexercise, and 1 hour postexercise in the seated position. All values were corrected for plasma volume changes. Alterations in von Willebrand Factor antigen, tissue plasminogen activator antigen, and plasminogen activator inhibitor-1 activity were analyzed using repeated measures analysis of variance.
RESULTS: Although von Willebrand Factor antigen remained unchanged from preexercise values, tissue plasminogen activator antigen and plasminogen activator inhibitor-1 activity increased and decreased, respectively, in the immediate postexercise recovery period. Moreover, the latter reduction persisted at 1 hour postexercise.
CONCLUSION: An acute bout of resistance training improves fibrinolytic potential in men with coronary artery disease, without elevating thrombotic potential. These data support the safety of resistance training in this population when contemporary prescriptive guidelines are used.