Resistance Training before, during, and after COVID-19 Infection: What Have We Learned So Far?

Abstract

At the end of 2019, a severe acute respiratory syndrome caused by SARS-CoV-2 started a pandemic, leading to millions of deaths and many important political and social changes. Even in the absence of contamination, the mobility reduction, social distancing and closing of exercise facilities negatively affected physical activity and conditioning, which is associated with muscle atrophy, loss of muscle strength, and reductions in functional capacity. In cases of infection, it has been shown that increased physical capacity is associated with decreased hospitalization and mortality risk. Although millions of people have died from COVID-19, most contaminated individuals survived the infection, but carried different sequelae, such as the severe loss of physical function and a reduced quality of life. Among different physical exercise models that might help to prevent and treat COVID-19-related conditions, resistance training (RT) might be particularly relevant. Among its benefits, RT can be adapted to be performed in many different situations, even with limited space and equipment, and is easily adapted to an individual’s characteristics and health status. The current narrative review aims to provide insights into how RT can be used in different scenarios to counteract the negative effects of COVID-19. By doing this, the authors expect to provide insights to help deal with the current pandemic and similar events the world may face in the future.

Could the fibromyalgia syndrome be triggered or enhanced by COVID-19?

“…Indeed, a telerehabilitation program based on aerobic exercise relieved the painful symptoms and psychological distress in women with FM during the COVID-19 pandemic (Hernando-Garijo et al 2021 ). Although it may be laborious to transpose non-pharmacological FM treatments to post-COVID syndrome, telerehabilitation, neuromodulation, and resistance exercises have improved primary complaints in post-viral syndromes (Perez et al 2021 ; Chandan et al 2022 ; Gentil et al 2022 ).…”

Association of Visiting the Physiotherapist with Mortality in the Spanish General Population: A Population-Based Cohort Study

“…To the best of our knowledge, in Spain, no study has previously analysed the association between physiotherapy care and mortality in the general population. However, previous studies have associated certain physiotherapy interventions with a decrease in the risk factors associated with higher mortality [10,[13][14][15]. The aim of this study was to analyse the association between attendance of physiotherapy and mortality in the general population from all causes after six years and describe the profile of patients who do not visit a physiotherapist in Spain, using the 2011/2012 National Health Survey.…”

Hot water immersion as a potential substitute for strength training during the COVID-19 pandemic

“…Collectively, the cited studies suggest that increasing muscle strength and mass via strength training during the COVID-19 pandemic could be an effective prophylactic strategy to strengthen resilience to severe forms of the disease in case a person gets infected by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2. While guidelines for strength training during the COVID-19 pandemic have been published ( Gentil et al, 2021 ; Gentil et al, 2022 ; Rodríguez et al, 2020 ; Sá Filho et al, 2020 ), they failed to provide alternative strategies for those unable or unwilling to exercise. Clearly, there is a need to introduce a non-exercise intervention aimed at increasing muscle strength and mass in the COVID-19 literature.…”