Key result
Resistance training increases high-frequency HRV more than aerobic exercise, while both boost low-frequency activity.
Why the study?
The study was conducted to investigate autonomic nervous system changes induced by aerobic versus resistance exercise in middle-aged women.
Does resistance training compared to aerobic exercise improve autonomic nervous system activity in premenopausal middle-aged women?
RCT (n=22)
Randomized
Does resistance training compared to aerobic exercise improve autonomic nervous system activity in premenopausal middle-aged women?
Both aerobic exercise and resistance training are effective for improving sympathetic nerve activities in middle-aged women, with resistance training showing greater effects on both sympathetic and parasympathetic activities.
Resistance training may be prioritized over aerobic exercise to enhance parasympathetic activity in middle-aged women; extends comparative RCT evidence on exercise modalities for HRV.
This study was conducted to investigate the changes in the autonomic nervous system in middle-aged women induced by aerobic and resistance exercise. A randomized controlled design was adopted; 22 premenopausal middle-aged women were divided into the resistance training and aerobic exercise groups (n = 11 each). Each group followed a specific 60 min exercise program three times a week for 12 weeks. The participants’ heart rate variability (HRV) was measured to analyze the low(LF)- and high-frequency (HF) activity, and the LF/HF ratio was calculated to examine the autonomic nervous system’s activities. A repeated-measures analysis of variance was used to analyze the effects of resistance and aerobic exercise. LF activity significantly increased in both the resistance training (p < 0.001) and aerobic exercise (p < 0.5) groups, indicating a significant variation according to time effect. HF activity was significantly increased only in resistance training (p < 0.001) with a significant variation in time (p < 0.001) and an interaction effect (p < 0.01). The LF/HF ratio did not vary significantly in either group. The findings in this study suggest that both aerobic exercise and resistance training were effective for sympathetic nerve activities in middle-aged women and that the effects on the sympathetic and parasympathetic activities were greater for resistance training.
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Lee et al. (2022) conducted an RCT in Premenopausal middle-aged women (n=22). Resistance training vs. Aerobic exercise was evaluated on Heart rate variability (low- and high-frequency activity, LF/HF ratio) (p=<0.01). Resistance training significantly increased high-frequency heart rate variability (interaction p<0.01) compared to aerobic exercise, while both interventions increased low-frequency activity.
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