Aerobic training was performed in a flat corridor that was 10 m
long. Participants walked for 15 uninterrupted minutes, with their
speed guided by the auditory recording of the endurance shuttle
walk test set at a speed corresponding to 70% of the speed
reached on the incremental shuttle walk test (ISWT).If the
participant was unable to tolerate this time or exhibited a drop in
pulse oxygen saturation (SpO2) < 84%, he or she was allowed to
rest on a chair, at which point the timer was paused. Upon feeling
capable of proceeding, the participant continued to walk until
completing the entire 15 minutes. Adjustments in the training
intensity were made according to symptoms (dyspnoea and
fatigue between 4 and 6 on the Borg scale)19 and/or 70% of the
predicted maximum heart rate, which was established using
Karvonen’s equation.If a participant reported a dyspnoea score <
4 and/or the heart rate remained below the rate established by
Karvonen’s equation, the speed of the walk was increased the
following day, and if dyspnoea was > 6 and/or the heart rate was
above the rate established in the equation, the speed of the walk
was diminished the following day.