Physical fitness training after stroke has been the subject of a previous meta-analysis. In a Cochrane review from 2004 based on 12 trials, Saunders and colleagues found that physical training could improve walking speed.1 The 2009 Cochrane review on physical fitness training for stroke patients is a meticulous piece of work taking up 150 pages. The review included 24 trials meeting the inclusion criteria. Subjects had to have been randomised to an intervention that aimed to improve muscle strength, cardiorespiratory fitness or both. Training had to consist of progressive cardiorespiratory training, muscle strengthening or a mixture of …