Abstract
Circuit weight training (CWT) has been a popular form of exercise for more than three decades. However, little research has examined the effects of a single CWT program on multiple components of fitness. PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to assess the effects of CWT on body composition (BC), VO2peak, bone mineral density (BMD), bone mineral content (BMC), muscular strength (MS) and muscular endurance (ME). METHODS: Twenty-four young adult women 18 to 35 years of age were randomly assigned to one of two groups: circuit weight training group (CTG; n=12) or control group (CN; n=12). The CTG exercise sessions (20 min, 3d wk−1 for 8 wk) consisted of a 5 minute warm-up on the treadmill followed by a CWT routine (10 stations, 30/30 sec work-to-rest ratio). Resistance was initially set at 60% of 1-repetition maximum and increased 2.5 lb every two weeks. CN was asked to remain inactive throughout the 8-wk study. CTG and CN were asked to maintain their usual dietary patterns throughout the 8-wk study and completed a 3-day dietary log during week one and week eight to verify compliance. RESULTS: Compared to CN, CTG improved (p <0.05) on several measures: BMD (1.8%), lean body mass (LBM) (1.2%), fat mass (FM) (−2.4%), body fat percentage (BF %) (−1.9%), upper MS (22.7%), lower MS (22.9%), upper ME (23.3%) and lower ME (20.8%). Although VO2peak did not improve (−2.9%) in CTG, there were some identifiable tendencies within CN that may have affected the results of this variable. CTG observed no improvements for height, weight, and BMC. CONCLUSION The results of this study indicate that this CWT program enhances LBM, FM, BF%, BMD, MS, and ME in college-aged women. Additional research is needed to identify the effects of CWT dosage (sets, repetitions, frequency, intensity, duration, work-to-rest ratio) on these fitness parameters.
Published Version
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