The American College of Sports Medicine recognizes the
importance of occupation-specific exercise training for those
returning to work, stating that “exercise training must be specific
to the muscle groups and energy systems used for occupational
tasks, particularly for those whose employment involves manual
labor” (1). Nevertheless, the prescribed delay of resistance training
means that post-MI patients whose jobs require heavy lifting
cannot begin the specific training they need until at least week
5 of a typical 6- to 8-week (9) cardiac rehabilitation program.