the most important part of any pulmonary rehabilitation program for copd is exercise. all pulmonary rehab centers offer exercises to improve physical fitness. some pulmonary rehab centers provide an exercise program only. other centers provide access to specialists education and psychological support in addition to exercises. pulmonary rehab exercises include: lower-body exercises: most pulmonary rehab centers provide a regimen of exercises that centers on leg workouts. these exercises vary from simple walking on a treadmill or around a track to more intense stair climbing. most of the proven benefits of pulmonary rehab come from studies in people doing leg exercises. upper-body exercises: the muscles in the upper body are important for breathing as well as daily activities. arm and chest exercises might include turning a crank against resistance or simply repetitively lifting the arms against gravity. exercises for breathing muscles: breathing through a mouthpiece against resistance during pulmonary rehab may increase the strength of the breathing muscles. these exercises are infrequently used but may be helpful for people with very weak breathing muscles. strength training : most pulmonary rehab exercises concentrate on building endurance. adding strength training like lifting weights has been shown to increase muscle strength and bulk as well.
what pulmonary rehab exercises can be beneficial to someone with copd?