Objective To determine the effect of elastic-band anti-resistance practice with breathing training on the cardiopulmonary function and athletic endurance in the coronary heart disease (CHD) patients after percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI). Methods A total of 77 CHD patients who underwent PCI surgery and conventional outpatient follow-up in our department from July to August 2016 were enrolled in this study. Thirty-six patients (control group) took conventional elastic-band anti-resistance practice as a regular rehabilitation training for once per 2 days, 3 times a week, for 16 weeks, and the other 41 cases (breathing training group) took same practice combined with breathing training. The indicators of cardiopulmonary exercise testing before and after the training were compared between them. SPSS statistics 16.0 was used to analyze the data. According to the data type, Student′s t test or Chi-square test was adopted for the comparison between the 2 groups. Results After exercise, the patients of breathing training group had significantly increased maximal oxygen pulse (VO_2max/HR, P<0.05), and more obviously elevated maximal metabolic equivalent of task (Mets_max), maximal oxygen uptake (VO_2max), and maximal oxygen uptake every kilogram (VO₂/kg_mx, P<0.01), but notably decreased Borg rate of perceived exertion scale (P<0.01). While, in the control group, maximal heart rate (HR_max) and anaerobic threshold heart rate (HRAT) were significantly reduced after exercise (P<0.05). When compared with the control group, Mets_max [(6.03±1.63) vs(5.20±1.21) METs], VO₂/kg_max [(21.08±5.72) vs (18.12±5.72) ml/(kg·min)] and anaerobic threshold oxygen uptake every kilogram [VO₂/kgAT, (16.10±4.80) vs (14.49±4.46) ml/(kg·min)] were significantly higher in the breathing training group after exercise (P<0.05). Exercise decreased ventilatory equivalent for carbon dioxide (VE/VCO₂), and improved forced expired volume in one second (FEV1) and maximal voluntary ventilation (MVV) in the breathing training group (P<0.01), while only significantly decreased VE/VCO₂ in the control group (P<0.05). The breathing training group obtained significantly increased FEV1 [(5.42±1.72) vs(2.42±0.85) L] and MVV [(111.24±9.50) vs(95.80±6.23) L] than the control group (P<0.01). Conclusion Compared with conventional elastic-band anti-resistance practice, combination with breathing training can greatly improve the athletic endurance and cardiopulmonary function in the CHD patients after PCI.