- New research shows that HIIT (high intensity interval training) can improve cardiovascular fitness in stroke survivors.
- Compared to moderate-intensity exercise, participants who did HIIT doubled their cardiorespiratory fitness, as measured by VO2 max.
- Both exercise groups still showed benefits, further highlighting the importance of exercise in stroke rehabilitation.
Exercise is essential for stroke recovery
Improving cardiorespiratory fitness can also help
However, new research in the journal
“We can build strength, and we can provide flexibility, and we can work on balance, but if you don’t have the heart capacity and the lung capacity to do things like walk and climb stairs, you’re missing a big piece of the puzzle,” Ada said Tang, PhD, senior study author and professor of rehabilitation science at McMaster University in Ontario, Canada, told Healthline.
“What we found in our study was that HIIT led to much greater improvements in fitness levels compared to traditional moderate-intensity continuous exercise,” she said.
Tang and a team of researchers oversaw a 12-week randomized controlled trial comparing HIIT with more traditional moderate-intensity exercise.
The study, which took place between 2018 and 2024, included an 8-week follow-up period for a total of 20 weeks of observation.
The participants included 82 people who had a stroke between six months and five years before the study began. The average age of the participants was 65 years and 32 (39%) were women. Most participants were white.
Half of the participants were randomized to HIIT training, while the other participants participated in moderate-intensity continuous training (MICT). Both exercises were performed three days a week during the 12-week period, but differed in length and intensity.
The HIIT protocol involved 10 rounds of 1-minute high-intensity intervals, defined as 80–100% of heart rate (HRR), alternating with 1-minute low-intensity intervals (30% HRR) for 19 minutes.
The moderate-intensity protocol consisted of 20–30 minutes of moderate-intensity exercise (40–60% HRR) continuously throughout.
After 12 weeks, the HIIT group had improved their cardiorespiratory fitness twice as much as the MICT group.
To define cardiovascular fitness, researchers used a measurement called VO2 max, similar but not the same as VO2 max. VO2 peak is the highest amount of oxygen consumed during maximal exercise, indicating how efficiently the body can transport and use oxygen in the bloodstream. So, higher measurement means higher efficiency.
Those in the HIIT group had an average VO2 max reading of 3.5 ml/kg/min, while those in the MICT group had a modest 1.7 ml/kg/min.
The results also remained. At week 20, at the end of the 8-week follow-up, the HIIT group maintained a clinically significant VO2 max reading of 1.71 mL/kg/min. At that level of fitness, individuals are at lower risk of stroke and hospitalization.
At the same time, the mean concentration group decreased to 0.67 mL/kg/min, which did not reach the clinically significant threshold.
Both groups showed improvements in walking endurance, measured through a
“Our message from that was: exercise will be good for people living with stroke. It doesn’t matter what kind of exercises. If you prefer moderate training, that’s great. If you want to try HIIT, you can — and either will improve walking,” Tang said.
High-intensity interval training requires short bursts of hard effort, which means it may not be the best way to train for certain individuals.
For example, a limitation of this study is that all participants were relatively well-employed and predominantly white. None had a significant physical disability, nor were any of them in an active hospital.
Tang and her colleagues also actively screened participants for heart disease, uncontrolled blood pressure, and diabetes.
“The study participants in this study were fairly selected and functional and not representative of all stroke patients,” said Daniel T. Lackland, DrPH, a member of the American Heart Association EPI and Stroke Council and director of the Division of Translational Neuroscience and Population Research at the Medical University of South Carolina in Charleston. Healthline. Lackland was not involved in the investigation.
“The findings apply only to selected highly functional stroke survivors, making generalizations inappropriate at this time.” More research is needed for stroke survivors who are less active,” Lackland said.
Participants also had access to a specific exercise machine called a recumbent stepper, which you won’t find at your average gym. The machine allows participants to perform vigorous exercise while seated to reduce the chance of injury due to balance and coordination problems caused by stroke.
If you’re interested in starting a HIIT regimen, check with your doctor first, especially if you’ve had a stroke or have other health conditions. HIIT can be performed with many forms of exercise, such as:
- walking
- jogging
- cycling
- row
- stairwells
High-intensity interval training may be more effective in building cardiovascular fitness during stroke rehabilitation.
In a 12-week randomized trial, researchers found that subjects who did HIIT doubled their cardiovascular fitness compared to those who did more traditional, moderate-intensity exercise.
HIIT is a rigorous form of exercise that is not right for everyone. Before starting a new exercise routine, consult your healthcare professional.
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