MAXIMAL EXERCISE PERFORMANCE
The cardiorespiratory performance at peak
exercise for the patients undergoing training
and the controls is shown in table 2. The
training group showed a highly significant
increase in all three "cardiovascular fitness"
variables-that is, Vo2max, maximum oxygen
pulse, and anaerobic threshold. VEmax (1/min)
increased in the training group from 58-8 (14-8)
to 661 (15 5) (p < 0001), with an increase in
tidal volume at peak exercise (litres) from 1-93
(0 69) to 2-12 (0 67); p < 0 01. The respiratory
rate was unchanged. The ventilatory equivalent
for oxygen (VEO2 max) was reduced (from
38 (4) to 34 (4); p < 0 01) in the training group
but not in the controls. There was no change in
the maximum dyspnoea index in either group.
These changes in maximal exercise performance
over the study period differed significantly
between the training and control groups except for the change in maximum heart rate
(O predicted), which was not significant
(-0 4(3 8) and - 17 (3-1) respectively).