Concurrent endurance and resistance training enhances muscular adaptations in individuals with metabolic syndrome.

Abstract

The purpose of the study was to determine if concurrent training (endurance and resistance in a single session) elicits leg muscular adaptations beyond the ones obtained by endurance training alone in sedentary individuals with metabolic syndrome (MetS). Sixty-six MetS individuals (37% women, age 56±7years, BMI 32±5kgm-2 and 3.8±0.8 MetS factors) were randomized to undergo one of the following 16-week isocaloric exercise programs: (i) 4+1 bouts of 4min at 90% of HRMAX of intense aerobic cycling (IAC+IAC group; n=33), (ii) 4 IAC bouts followed by 3 sets of 12 repetitions of 3 lower-limb free-weight exercises (IAC+RT group; n=33). We measured the effects of training on maximal cycling power, leg press maximum strength (1RM), countermovement jump height (CMJ), and mean propulsive velocity (MPV) at workloads ranging from 10% to 100% of baseline 1RM leg press. After intervention, MetS components (Z-score) improved similarly in both groups (p=0.002). Likewise, maximal cycling power during a ramp test improved similarly in both groups (time effect p<0.001). However, leg press 1RM improved more in IAC+RT than in IAC+IAC (47±5 vs 13±5kg, respectively, interaction p<0.001). CMJ only improved with IAC+RT (0.8±0.2cm, p=0.001). Leg press MPV at heavy loads (ie, 80%-100% 1RM) improved more with concurrent training (0.12±0.01 vs 0.06±0.02ms-1 , interaction p=0.013). In conclusion, in unconditioned MetS individuals, intense aerobic cycling alone improves leg muscle performance. However, substituting 20% of intense aerobic cycling by resistance training further improves 1RM leg press, MPV at high loads, and jumping ability while providing similar improvement in MetS components.