The Impact of Differing Types of Physical Activity on Weight Loss, Strength, VO2 max, and the Various Metabolic Hormones.

PURPOSE: The purpose of this investigate the impact of differing types of physical activity on weight loss, strength, VO2 max, and various metabolic hormones. METHODS: Eleven sedentary and overweight male/females participated in this study and were randomly assigned to one of two exercise groups: aerobic training (A) (N = 4, 40 ± 8.7 yrs 165 ± 8.3cm, 89 ± 16 kg), or aerobic training plus resistance training (ART) (N = 7, 43 ± 10 yrs, 171 ± 8.7 cm, 91 ± 12 kg). Training protocols for the two exercise groups consisted of 30 min of aerobic exercise five days per week at 60-70% of heart rate max and 30 minutes of aerobic exercise three days per week at 60-70% of heart rate max plus two days of moderate intensity resistance exercise per week for the (A) and (ART) groups, respectively. Baseline testing consisted of weight, hip, and waist measurements, and body composition analysis using bioelectrical impedance. Participants donated approximately 20 ml of fasting blood for the analysis of clinical chemistry profiles, WBC counts, and the hormones insulin, leptin, and cortisol. Following these assessments, VO2 max, upper-body strength, and lower-body strength was established using standard procedures. All baseline assessments were repeated at 4 and 8 weeks of the study. Statistical analyses utilized a two-way ANOVA with repeated measures for all criterion variables (p\u3c0.05). RESULTS: A significant (p \u3c 0.05) increase in upper and lower body strength was observed in both A and ART groups, however there was no significant difference between groups. A significant group x time interaction (p \u3c 0.05) was observed for body weight (ART: -1.5 ± 0.3 lbs; A: 3 ± 0.5 lbs). No significant (p \u3e 0.05) main effects for group or time were observed for the criterion variables body fat, VO2 max, and the hormones insulin, leptin, and cortisol. Furthermore, neither protocol had a significant impact on body fat or VO2 max. CONCLUSIONS: It can be concluded that aerobic exercise coupled with resistance training for 8 weeks yielded greater results in weight loss than aerobic training alone. No marked changes were noted on the affects of any type of exercise regiment on body composition, VO2 max, or the hormones leptin, insulin, and cortisol over the 8-week study