THE EFFECTS OF EXERCISE TRAINING ON RESTING METABOLIC RATE IN PREVIOUSLY SEDENTARY, MODERATELY OBESE WOMEN

Abstract

1544 The present study was designed to investigate the effects of exercise training on resting metabolic rate (RMR). Nineteen previously sedentary, moderately obese women trained for 20 weeks using either resistance training (RT) or a combination of resistance training and walking (RT/W). The high intensity resistance training program was designed to increase strength and fat-free mass and the walking program to increase aerobic capacity. There was also a non-exercising control group (C) of nine subjects in this study. In order to avoid the reduction in RMR associated with caloric restriction or negative energy balance, all subjects were encouraged to maintain their current dietary habits throughout the duration of the study. Fat-free mass was significantly increased in both RT and RT/W groups as a result of the training program (p<0.05). No group showed significant changes in fat mass or relative body fat from pre- to post-training. Aerobic capacity was slightly, though significantly, increased in the RT/W group only (p<0.05). The RT group showed a significant increase, while the RT/W group showed a significant decrease, in RMR post-training (p<0.05). From these findings we concluded that RT can potentiate an increase in RMR through an increase in fat-free mass, and that the decrease in RMR in the RT/W group was probably a result of heat acclimation from walk training, outdoors in a hot/humid climate.