In patients with more severe chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), the benefits of rehabilitation might not be clear and, therefore, new treatment options have been developed to increase the benefits of rehabilitation. This review provides an overview of new approaches being developed as an addition to exercise training. In turn, the benefits of adding ventilatory support, oxygen, anabolics or neuromuscular stimulation to a rehabilitation programme will be discussed. While positive benefits for a number of these approaches have been found, many questions remain unsolved. Therefore, at present, we cannot recommend these new tools as part of the routine management of patients with COPD who start a rehabilitation programme.