resistance+training

Resistance Exercise Training and Hyperlipidaemia
The evidence in support of resistance training as a preventative and therapeutic measure for hyperlipidaemias is less strong than that for aerobic exercise. Much of the success of aerobic exercise follows from its contribution to weight loss and reduced body fat percentage. Resistance exercise is not generally recommended for weight loss (see Obesity and Exercise), hence it has a lesser role in the treatment and management of dyslipidaemias than does aerobic exercise training.

The ACSM Position Stand - "Appropriate Physical Activity Intervention Strategies for Weight Loss and Prevention of Weight Regain for Adults" summarises the evidence and concludes - > "resistance training does not seem to be effective for weight reduction in the order of 3% of initial weight and does not add to weight loss when combined with diet restriction. Resistance training increases fat-free mass when used alone or in combination with weight loss from diet restriction. Resistance training may increase loss of fat mass when combined with aerobic exercise compared to resistance training alone. No evidence currently exists for prevention of weight regain after weight loss or for a dose effect for resistance training and weight loss."

Despite this gloomy outlook for the role of resistance training there is some evidence that resistance training has had an effect in particular circumstances.

Resistance Exercise Training as a Preventative for Hyperlipidaemia
The evidence with respect to women is intriguing. Prabhakaran et al (1999) conducted a 14  week  resistance  training  study on  lipid  profile  and  body  fat  percentage  in young women using a randomised controlled design. The  resistance  training  group  performed  eight  exercises  at  85%  of  1‐RM,  three  days  a  week,  these  exercises  were:
 * 1) leg  press,
 * 2) leg  extension,
 * 3) leg  curl,
 * 4) latissimus  dorsi pull down,
 * 5) bench  press,
 * 6) military  press,
 * 7) biceps  curl  and
 * 8) triceps  extension

Not surprisingly, the authors observed significant strength gains, but there were also significant decreases in But, no differences were seen in triglycerides and HDL cholesterol. Clearly this study sample responded positively to the particular resistance training program with a resultant reduction in body fat percentage and a reduction in LDL-C.
 * total cholesterol [180 mg/dL down to 164 mg/dL],
 * low density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) [115 mg/dL down to 99 mg/dL] and
 * body fat percentage (27.9% down to 26.5 %)

LeMura et al (2000) sought to reproduce this study's findings with a group of young, healthy, sedentary women over a 16 week intervention period. The training intensity and volume were less in this study than in Prabhakaran et al (1999), but included a similar set of exercises at similar loads. Training adaptations were sufficient to achieve significant strength increases. However, there were no significant changes in any blood lipid measure as a consequence of training nor was there a change in body fat percentage.

The situation with women after menopause is no more clear. After menopause, changes in hormonal levels are associated with adverse effects on serum lipids and lipoproteins (Sacks and Walsh 1990 ). The concentration of LDL-C increases and the concentration of HDL-C decreases; and the rate of increase of the incidence of CHD rises exponentially in women after 55 years of age. The Australian prevalence data strongly supports this observation.

Elliott et al (2002) undertook an 8 week "low intensity progressive" resistance training intervention with post menopausal women. The effect did not match that observed by Prabhakaran et al (1999) for younger women. These authors found a significant increase in strength, however no effect on body fat percentage, total cholesterol or LDL-C was seen.

More recently, Wooten et al (2011) have also investigated the response of obese, post menopausal women to resistance exercise training. Firstly, these authors examined the effect of a single bout of resistance training. Their finding of no acute effect of resistance training, contrasts strongly with earlier studies of healthy trained and untrained men, where a single session of whole body, high volume resistance training has been shown to significantly reduce TG levels and increase HDL-C.

The second approach of Wooten et al (2011) was to examine the effect of a 12 week program of resistance training. They found no significant change in BMI, body mass or body composition for either the exercise or control group. Participants in the exercise group showed significant increases in muscular strength. The exercise group had a significant decrease in LDL-C and TC compared to the control group. The finding of a significant effect of resistance training on LDL-C conflicts with the earlier finding of no effect in the study of Elliott et al (2002).

The major difference in these two study protocols is intensity and volume It's the same difference as between Prabhakaran's study and LeMura's study. It is apparent from these studies that improvement in blood lipid profiles are only seen when resistance training is performed at higher intensities.
 * = **Study attribute** ||= **Elliott et al (2002)** ||= **Wooten et al (2011)** ||
 * = Duration ||= 8 weeks ||= 12 weeks ||
 * = Frequency ||= 3 days/week ||= 3 days/week ||
 * = No. of exercises ||= 8 ||= 10 ||
 * = Set 1 ||= 8 reps at 80% of 10RM ||= 8-RM ||
 * = Set 2 ||= 8 reps at 80% of 10RM ||= 8-RM ||
 * = Set 3 ||= 8 reps at 80% of 10RM ||= to failure ||

Resistance Exercise Training as a Therapeutic Intervention for Hyperlipidaemia
In the 23 resistance exercise training randomised controlled trials reviewed by Tambalis et al (2009) (all published between 1990 and 2007) many included subjects who were hyperlipidaemic. They found that in 39% of the resistance training interventions there was a significant effect on LDL-C, but that only in 23% of the trials was there a significant reduction in total cholesterol.

Even less of the resistance exercise training interventions (3 of 23 studies all involving women) showed reductions in triglycerides (TG).

A mere 4 of 23 trials showed any positive effect on HDL-C levels following a resistance training intervention.

Durstine et al (2001) note that there are different lipid responses to exercise in trained and untrained individuals, with untrained individuals tending to be more responsive to exercise stimulus. In the context of aerobic exercise, they argue that a threshold weekly exercise energy expenditure threshold applies at around 1200kcal to stimulate reductions in LDL-C. Should the intensity of resistance training reach this same threshold, there's a good chance that a similar LDL-C response may emerge.

Exercise Training

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