Cardiovascular diseases represent a major health problem and are the leading cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide with a sedentary lifestyle significantly contributing to their development. The purpose of this master's thesis was to present the latest guidelines for endurance development in individuals with cardiovascular diseases and to review the acute and chronic effects endurance exercise has on these individuals. The main goal of the thesis was to create exercise cards that would help individuals with cardiovascular diseases in their independent or guided endurance training.
We conducted a literature review to identify the most effective endurance training methods for individuals with cardiovascular diseases. We searched for literature using keywords that considered inclusion and exclusion criteria in two databases, PEDro and PubMed. We reviewed 22 studies that included individuals with one of the cardiovascular diseases. Of these, 4 were systematic review studies. Sixteen studies included in this thesis examined the effects of two different endurance training methods on cardiovascular performance and physical fitness; continuous training and high-intensity interval training (HIIT). The remaining six studies examined the acute and chronic effects of endurance exercise on the cardiovascular system of individuals with cardiovascular diseases in general.
Research reports that physical exercise is effective in treating and preventing cardiovascular diseases. High-intensity interval training proved to be the most effective, as intervals are interspersed with rest periods that relieve the heart and this form of exercise significantly improves the maximal oxygen uptake (VO2max), a key indicator of survival. We presented the exercise units in the form of exercise cards, where the workout plan is outlined (exercises, intensity, duration, number of sets, equipment, organizational forms and tips for the trainer or the participant). In the future, these exercise cards could be useful in planning and creating similar exercise sessions.
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