Strength Training in Walking Tolerance in Intermittent Claudication Patients

The Walking Training program was performed using a treadmill. In each session, patients performed fifteen 2-min bouts of exercise followed by a 2-min rest interval, as previously described. Walking speed was set in order to induce perceived exertion of 11 to 13 and claudication pain in the last 30 seconds of each exercise bout.

The strength training program consisted of 8 exercises (leg press, crunches, unilateral knee extension, seated row, unilateral knee flexion, seated bench press, calf raises on leg press, and seated back extension). In each exercise, subjects performed 3 sets of 10 repetitions with a 2-min interval between sets and exercises.