Coronary artery disease: How are resistance exercises done?
Resistance training is often done with weights. Before you start, talk with your doctor about what level of exercise is safe for you.
Start with a weight that you can easily carry through the required range of motion. You should only increase the resistance when you can comfortably do the exercises and weights that you've been using for a few weeks. If you have angina, heart failure, or other heart conditions, you may increase the number of times (repetitions) you do each exercise, but keep the resistance the same.
Your movement should be slow and controlled at all times. If you feel that you can't control the resistance, decrease the resistance or lower the weight. Don't strain. Stop exercising if you feel symptoms such as dizziness, unusual shortness of breath, or any form of pain.
Repetitions and sets
Repetitions are the number of times you perform each exercise. For example, if you lift a dumbbell up and down once, that's 1 repetition (or rep). If you lift it 5 times, that's 5 reps. Sets are the number of times you do a certain number of repetitions. For example, if you lift the dumbbell 15 times, take a rest, and then lift it another 15 times, you have done two sets of 15 reps each.
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