Resistance Exercise in Barth Syndrome

Barth syndrome (BTHS) is a disorder that is characterized by heart failure, exercise intolerance and skeletal muscle weakness. Preliminary evidence demonstrates that endurance exercise training does not significantly improve exercise tolerance in BTHS. Because endurance exercise training targets a metabolic pathway that is adversely affected by BTHS, the investigators hypothesized that resistance training may improve exercise tolerance in BTHS because this type of training targets a different metabolic pathway than does endurance exercise. Therefore, the overall objective of the pilot/feasibility/proof-of-concept proposal is to collect preliminary data on the following hypothesis: Supervised resistance exercise training (3x/wk, 45min, 12 wks) will improve exercise tolerance, heart function, muscle strength and quality of life, and will be found safe in adolescents and young adults with BTHS.