Resistance Training

Although resistance training typically is thought to be primarily for those who are young and athletic and attempting to improve athletic performance or look very fit, resistance training is also increasingly recognized as an excellent prevention strategy and treatment for many types of chronic disease. Resistance training lowers blood pressure values in those with hypertension, can maintain bone integrity in those prone to osteoporosis, improves health outcomes in those with chronic kidney disease, and helps maintain lean tissue in those undergoing weight loss, among many other benefits. Progressive resistance training gained traction as an adjunct treatment in those treated for cancer or who are cancer survivors. A review and meta-analysis demonstrated the following benefits of resistance training in those with breast cancer:

• Reduced risk of breast cancer–related lymphedema

• No change in arm volume in those with established lymphedema

• Improved upper and lower body strength

• Positive effect on health-related quality of life in those not currently on cancer therapy Interestingly, until as recent as 2003 there were no trials assessing resistance training in these patients. This was largely due to the belief that the threat of immune system dysfunction from potential fatigue and exhaustion were too great a risk in these patients coupled with the idea that resistance training might negatively affect those who had lymph tissue removed during surgery and were at risk for lymphedema (fluid buildup) in their arms. In just over a decade, resistance training has become widely recommended as a standard part of exercise therapy in the breast cancer population