Resistance vs. Aerobic Training on Breast Cancer Patients Undergoing Neoadjuvant Treatment

The participants will perform continuous cycling at 30%-35% of their heart rate reserve for one month (phase 1: adaptive phase). Then, the intensity will increase every 4-5 weeks (± 5%) up to 80% of heart rate reserve (moderate intensity), depending on the participant's tolerance. An individualized equation establishing the relationship between heart rate, oxygen consumption, and power output will be determined during the cardiorespiratory fitness assessment and used to determine exercise intensity.

Initially, and during the first two weeks of the adaptive phase (1-month), the resistance training group will perform one set of 8-12 repetitions (40%-repetition maximum) of 8 exercises for upper and lower body (squat, leg extension, leg curl, deadlift, plank, dead bug, seated row, shoulder press). Then, in the last two weeks, the participants will perform 2 sets of each exercise (45%-repetition maximum). After the adaptive phase, three sets of each exercise will be performed. The initial load will be 50% -repetition maximum increasing up to a maximum of 70%-repetition maximum at the end of the study. Every 4-5 weeks the load will be reviewed and adjusted according to individual.

The control group will perform a weekly stretching/relaxation session for 45 minutes.