Position Stand of the American College of Sports Medicine

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Abstract
It is the policy of the editors of the Journal of Cardiopulmonary Rehabilitation to keep its readers up to date with new policy statements and position stands from other professional organizations that are relevant to its readers. In 1978 the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) published a position stand entitled “The Recommended Quantity and Quality of Exercise for Developing and Maintaining Fitness in Healthy Adults‘’ which was later reprinted in JCR 1981;1;375–384. The revised position stand printed below was recently published by ACSM (Med Sci Sports Exerc 1990;22;265–274.) and replaces the 1978 statement. Although the statement is related to the healthy adult, its reference to the elderly, low fit, or obese person makes it relevant for wellness and cardiopulmonary rehabilitation programs. Of particular interest is the classification of intensity of exercise based on 20 to 60 minutes of endurance training (Table I). This classification system is valid and practical for use with patient populations as well as with elderly and low fit participants. An important addition to the present statement includes a resistance-training component to the training program. The importance of a well-rounded program is emphasized with the 8 to 10 exercises recommended to train the major muscle groups. The statement notes that such exercise is very specific. Thus, training the legs will have little or no effect on the arms, shoulders, or trunk. The editors believe that the new ACSM position stand is important to read because most health professions involved in rehabilitation treat a variety of patients, many of whom could benefit from this statement.

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