Rehabilitation guide
After a heart attack, a stent or bypass surgery, many people are afraid to move. Yet properly dosed exercise is part of the treatment: in a review of 85 trials, exercise-based cardiac rehabilitation reduced the risk of another heart attack and of hospital admission. The programme starts with your cardiologist’s approval and progresses step by step.
Cardiac rehabilitation is a programme that combines exercise training with education on reducing risk factors and with emotional support. The aim is to build stamina step by step without straining the heart, and to prevent another cardiac event.
The programme usually starts with short walks in hospital, continues for weeks after discharge and turns into a lifelong habit of activity. The type and intensity of exercise are set according to your cardiologist’s assessment.
The Cochrane review, updated in 2026, examined 85 randomised controlled trials in 23,430 people with coronary heart disease; most participants had had a heart attack or a procedure to reopen the arteries (stent, bypass). Over 6–12 months of follow-up, exercise-based rehabilitation reduced the risk of another heart attack by 28% and the risk of hospital admission by 42%: roughly one hospital admission was prevented for every 12 people. A small reduction in deaths seems likely, but that result is not certain. Only 17% of participants were women.
Home programmes work too: in another Cochrane review of 24 trials (3,046 people), no difference was found between home programmes supported by healthcare staff and centre-based programmes in exercise capacity, quality of life or deaths.
Being afraid to move after a cardiac event is very common. Your cardiologist decides when and at what intensity you start; progress the programme with their approval, in small steps.
Exercises at home
These are examples of light and moderate exercises you can do at home once your cardiologist has cleared you to exercise. Stop at once if you have chest pain, a feeling of pressure, dizziness or unusual breathlessness.
Walk on level ground at a pace at which you can talk but not sing. Start slowly for the first few minutes and then speed up; slow down for the last few minutes. Increase the time little by little from week to week.
Start with 10 minutes; aim for 30 minutes a daySit towards the front of a sturdy chair. Breathe out as you stand up and breathe in as you slowly sit down. Use your hands for support if needed; as it gets easier, cross your arms over your chest.
8–10 reps, 2 setsSit up straight on a chair. Slowly straighten your knee, tightening the muscle at the front of your thigh; hold for 3 seconds, then lower it slowly. As it gets easier, you can add a light weight at your ankle.
10 reps, 2–3 setsHold on lightly to the worktop. Breathe out as you lift both heels together and rise onto your toes; breathe in as you slowly lower.
10–15 reps, 2 setsStand upright, holding on to a worktop. Move one leg out to the side, keeping the knee straight and your toes pointing forwards, then lower it slowly. Do not lean your body to the side. As it gets easier, add a resistance band around your ankles.
10–15 reps on each sideLean your back against a wall with your feet a step away from it. Breathe out as you bend your knees slightly and slide your back down, then come straight back up without holding the position. Do not hold your breath.
8–10 reps, 2 setsIf you have had bypass or other open-heart surgery, avoid heavy lifting, pushing and pulling until your breastbone has healed; your surgeon will tell you for how long.
Video
From the YouTube channel of the British Heart Foundation.
The introduction to the Cardiac Rehab at Home video series.
The beginner-level exercise programme in the series.
Yes, when it is done with your cardiologist’s approval and built up gradually. In the review of 85 trials, people who took part in exercise-based rehabilitation had fewer further heart attacks and hospital admissions. Your doctor sets the intensity you start at.
That depends on the event you had and the procedure carried out; your cardiologist decides. It usually begins with short walks in hospital, and the programme is progressed gradually after discharge.
In the review of 24 trials (3,046 people), home programmes supported by healthcare staff and centre-based programmes were found to be similarly effective. Choose the one you will be able to keep up regularly; a home programme also needs a doctor’s approval and regular follow-up.
The target heart rate differs from person to person and is affected by the medicines you take, so it would not be right to give everyone a single number. If your doctor has not set a range for you, use the talk test: if you can talk but not sing, you are at moderate intensity.
In these situations stop exercising; where it says “emergency”, call 112:
Sources
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