Aerobic conditioning is very important after stroke as it may reduce the risk of subsequent stroke and overall mortality. High-intensity interval training (HIIT), in which aerobic training workload is varied between lower and higher intensity bouts within a training session, is known to be effective for maximizing aerobic capacity in healthy individuals and those with cardiac disease. HIIT has not been studied extensively in adults with stroke, but it could be an efficient way to maximize aerobic capacity in this population. Furthermore, using heart rate response to establish training intensity may lead to underestimation of target intensity after stroke because blood pressure medications may blunt the heart rate response. Ventilatory threshold is an alternate method of establishing training intensity and is derived independently of heart rate response. The investigators hypothesized that a 10-week program of treadmill HIIT with intensity based on ventilatory threshold would be feasible in adults at least 6 months post-stroke, and would increase aerobic capacity.
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Change in Aerobic Capacity
Timeframe: Baseline and 12 weeks