The study protocol was approved by

The study protocol was approved by the Ethics Committee on Research of the Federal University of Sa ˜o Paulo
(CEP 0677/05), and the subjects provided signed informed
consent. Fifty subjects were recruited for the study, with
the following inclusion criteria: diagnosis of COPD based
on the criteria of the Brazilian Thoracic Society and Global
Initiative for Chronic Obstructive Lung Disease (GOLD),1,2
FEV
1  80% of predicted, between 40 and 75 y of age,
either gender, and signed informed consent. Exclusion
criteria included participation in a pulmonary rehabilitation program in the previous 12 months; regular practice
of any type of physical activity, such as fast walking,
swimming, or exercise at a fitness center for at least 40 min,
3 times/week, in the previous 12 months; presence of other
disease that could lead to exercise intolerance, such as
neurological, heart, or orthopedic conditions; cognitive impairment; and exacerbation in the 4 weeks before the study.
All subjects were evaluated before the intervention by spirometry, 6MWT, and a lower limb endurance test; they
also completed the St George Respiratory Questionnaire
(SGRQ) to assess quality of life. The subjects underwent
the same evaluation procedures after 24 training sessions