Is jogging a safe and beneficial form of exercise for individuals with COPD, hypertension, or congestive heart failure?

Aerobic exercise—including walking, cycling, and, in some cases, jogging—improves functional capacity, quality of life, and reduces hospitalizations in these populations, but the intensity and mode should be tailored to the individual's symptoms, comorbidities, and baseline conditioning.[1-8]

For most patients with significant symptoms or deconditioning, lower-intensity activities such as walking or interval training are preferred initially, with gradual progression as tolerated. Jogging may be considered for those with sufficient stamina and stable disease, but only after careful evaluation, ideally guided by symptom-limited cardiopulmonary exercise testing and under the guidance of a cardiac or pulmonary rehabilitation program.[1][3][5][8-9] 

The American Heart Association and the American College of Cardiology recommend individualized exercise prescriptions, often starting at 60–80% of peak VO₂ or maximum work capacity, with session durations of 20–40 minutes, 3–4 times per week, and close monitoring for adverse symptoms.[1][3][5]

There is limited evidence specifically addressing the safety and efficacy of jogging in patients with multiple comorbidities, and most studies emphasize the need for individualized, supervised, and progressively advanced exercise regimens in this population.[8-10]

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Alvar Agusti, Bartolome R. Celli, Gerard Criner, et al

Global Initiative for Chronic Obstructive Lung Disease

 

Emtner M, Wadell K.

British Journal of Sports Medicine. 2016;50(6):368-71. doi:10.1136/bjsports-2015-095872.

 

Palermo P, Corrà U.

Annals of the American Thoracic Society. 2017;14(Supplement_1):S59-S66. doi:10.1513/AnnalsATS.201702-160FR.

 

 9. Personalized Exercise Training in Chronic Lung Diseases.