ABSTRACT
1. The findings of this study contradicted those of previous studies in the areas of respiratory rates, conditioning, and the effect of exercise on diastolic blood pressure. 2. This study indicates that the heart's requirement for oxygen at a given MET load (a unit of energy cost-related to workload) is significantly reduced in elderly cardiac-event patients following a 6-week conditioning program; thus, a similar program would appear to provide cardioprotective effects to this population. 3. This study demonstrated that, as a result of physical conditioning, heart rate, systolic blood pressure, and rate-pressure product showed significant beneficial reductions which would allow elderly postcardiac-event patients to function more effectively in daily activities.
