Welcome to Your Cardiac Rehabilitation Program

See advice from our heart and lung experts, then fill in your weekly check-in below.

(Approximate reading time: 2-4 minutes)

Move It Monday: Strength Training

This week, establish a strength training routine.

1» Select an exercise from your FITT worksheet, or if this is your first week, use this squat exercise to initiate your practice.

Starting position: Sit on the edge of a chair. Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart, arms at your sides.

Movement: Keep your feet hip-width apart and arms crossed over your chest. Tighten your abdominal muscles and stand up. Slowly sit down with control. Repeat 8-12 times.

2» Strengthening your muscles gives you the ability to decrease arthritic pain and risk of falls, improves glucose control, sleeping habits, and allows you to burn more calories even at rest. Strength training makes your muscles work harder.  This increases your muscle strength, size, power and endurance. The exercises work your muscles against resistance, like your body weight, weights, elastic bands and machines.

3» Strength Training

• Frequency
  • 2-3x/week
• Intensity
  • Pick somewhat hard weight. Once it begins to feel easy, it’s time to increase to the next weight
• Type
  • Body weight, free weights, household items, machines
• Time
  • 1-3 sets of 6-20 repetitions for each muscle group
  • Rest in between exercises (1 min)
• Pace
  • 1,2,3 second count each phase of exercise
• Breathing technique
  • Inhale and exhale throughout the exercise
  • DON’T hold your breath

Please tell us about your progress! Your feedback helps us improve the program.

Learn more about Strength and Resistance Training Exercise

Please complete the F.I.T.T. worksheet attached here. Start on Monday during your workout!