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Introduction: High-risk lung resection patients present postoperative pulmonary complications, which could be associated to a reduced upper-limb (UL) exercise capacity, decreasing functional independence. Objective: To identify the differences between high and low-risk lung resection patients in UL exercise capacity at discharge and in the following month. Methods: We carried out an observational prospective cohort study, including 65 patients who underwent lung resection in the Thoracic Surgery Service of the “Hospital Virgen de las Nieves” (Granada). Patients were divided into two groups according to the risk profile criteria. Outcomes included were the UL exercise capacity, assessed by the Unsupported Upper-limb Exercise (UULEX), which included a record of the dyspnea and fatigue levels, before and after the test. Results: 29 patients were included in the low-risk group and 36 in the high-risk one. The high-risk group presented significant differences in the UULEX test for the UL fatigue pre and posttest, time and dyspnea at discharge (p Conclusions: High-risk patients present a reduced UL exercise capacity compared to the low-risk group at discharge. This difference remains in the follow-up.