Table 1 Inclusion and exclusion criteria

(1) age between 18 and 70 years

(2) life-expectancy longer than one year

(3) forced vital capacity at least 80%

(4) diagnosis of "Probable" of "definite" ALS according to the "revised El Escorial WFN criteria" [2]

(5) at least 1 month after the diagnosis of ALS

(6) being in the rehabilitation phase; diagnostic phase is completed

(7) walking ability with or without a ankle-foot orthosis or stick, and cycling ability on a cycle ergometer, so that the intervention can be expected to be completed

Exclusion criteria

(1) cognitive impairment

(2) insufficient mastery of the Dutch language

(3) disabling co-morbidity interfering with the intervention programmes or influencing outcome parameters (including severe cardiopulmonary disease, like chest pain, arrhythmia, pacemaker, cardiac surgery, severe dyspnoea on effort or emphysema, epileptic seizures, poorly regulated diabetes mellitus or hypertension

(4) psychological disorder preventing the intervention from being completed