Table 2.
Example exercise sessions including prescription parameters.
| Exercise Prescription Parameter | Aerobic Exercise Prescription | |
|---|---|---|
| Average Participant | Deconditioned Participant; or Participant Experiencing Period of Activity-Limiting Pain or Nausea |
|
| Mode of Exercise a | Walk, cycle (stationary or bicycle), swim a | Walking (flat road, treadmill, shopping center) or stationary cycling a |
| Frequency, sessions b per week | 3–4 | 6 |
| Intensity | Moderate | Moderate |
| RPE c, 6–20 Borg Scale | 12–14 | 11–13 |
| Duration, minutes | ||
| Individual session | 20–40 | 20 (broken into shorter bouts, as needed, throughout the day, e.g., 4 × 5 min) |
| Total weekly | 110 | 120 |
| Eliciting progressing overload | ||
| Recommendations | Increase speed, load, or incline to maintain RPE | Increase duration of bouts until able to complete 20 min continuously |
| Example | Increase pace, include hills or inclines, intervals of higher speed to maintain overall intensity target across session | Use “talk-test” to identify threshold for moderate-intensity. Symptoms (e.g., fatigue, pain) may influence RPE more than cardiovascular response |
| Exercise Prescription Parameter | Resistance Exercise Prescription | |
| Average Participant | Deconditioned Participant; or Participant Experiencing Period of Activity-Limiting Pain or Nausea | |
| Frequency, sessions b per week | 2 | 2 |
| Intensity | Moderate | Moderate |
| RPE c, 6–20 Borg Scale | 12–14 | 11–13 |
| Repetitions in reserve | Aim for 2–3 repetitions in reserve at the end of each set | Aim for 3–4 repetitions in reserve at the end of each set |
| Duration, minutes | ||
| Individual Session | 20 | 15 |
| Total Weekly | 40 | 30 |
| Session components | ||
| Focus | Muscular strength | Muscular endurance |
| Repetition range | 8–12 | 15–20+ |
| Set range | 2–3 | 2 |
| Example home-based resistance exercises a | ||
| Lower body | Squat Calf-raise on step including dorsiflexion Lateral banded walk Resistance band deadlift |
Sit-to-stand Supine bridge Side-lying hip abduction |
| Upper body | Bent-over row (single-arm, dumbbell) | Resistance band row Resistance band chest press |
| Exercise Recommendations | 4–5 major muscle group exercises, 1 targeted exercise (functional or injury-specific where required) | |
| Eliciting progressive overload | Increase reps or sets, increase resistance or weight, alter exercise tempo | |
a This is not an exhaustive list; if a participant wanted to engage in other aerobic or resistance-based exercises the exercise professional would include the activity in the prescription if it was deemed safe and appropriate to the participant’s goals (e.g., dragon boat training, gym classes, boxing, machine-based resistance exercises). b These exercise sessions may have been completed unsupervised or incorporated as part of one of the supervised sessions. c RPE: Rating of Perceived Exertion.