Key result
High-intensity single-leg, high-intensity double-leg, and moderate-intensity double-leg cycling all similarly reduced resting systolic blood pressure (129 to 124 mm Hg; P<0.01) and LDL-c.
Why the study?
High-intensity exercise and small muscle mass training offer potential alternatives to moderate-intensity exercise for cardiovascular disease risk factor modification.
Does high-intensity single-leg or double-leg cycling improve cardiovascular disease risk factor profiles compared to moderate-intensity double-leg cycling in healthy middle-aged adults?
RCT (n=53)
Does high-intensity single-leg or double-leg cycling improve cardiovascular disease risk factor profiles compared to moderate-intensity double-leg cycling in healthy middle-aged adults?
High-intensity single-leg, high-intensity double-leg, and moderate-intensity double-leg cycling all similarly improve cardiovascular risk factors and aerobic capacity in healthy middle-aged adults over 8 weeks.
Moderate- or high-intensity cycling regimens may be chosen interchangeably; confirms equivalence of intensities and single- vs double-leg formats for risk reduction.
INTRODUCTION: Regular exercise can reduce the risk of developing cardiovascular disease through risk factor modification, with high-intensity exercise and more recently small muscle mass training providing alternatives to moderate-intensity exercise. METHODS: This study randomly assigned 53 healthy middle-age adults (age, 62 ± 6 yr) to complete 24 sessions (8 wk; 3 d·wk) of exercise training, using either high-intensity double-leg cycling (n = 17; HITDL), high-intensity single-leg cycling (n = 18; HITSL), or moderate-intensity double-leg cycling (n = 18; MCTDL). Biomarkers of cardiovascular risk (total cholesterol, triglycerides, HDL-c, LDL-c, apo-B48, and glucose), anthropometry measures (body mass, body mass index, waist circumference, and waist-to-hip ratio), resting blood pressure, and aerobic capacity were assessed pre- and postintervention. RESULTS: Total work completed was greater (P < 0.01) in MCTDL (5938 ± 1462 kJ) compared with the HITDL (3462 ± 1063 kJ) and HITSL (4423 ± 1875 kJ). Pre- to posttraining differences were observed for waist-to-hip ratio (0.84 ± 0.09 vs 0.83 ± 0.09; P < 0.01), resting systolic blood pressure (129 ± 11 vs 124 ± 12 mm Hg; P < 0.01), total cholesterol (5.87 ± 1.17 vs 5.55 ± 0.98 mmol·L; P < 0.01), and LDL-c (3.70 ± 1.04 vs 3.44 ± 0.84 mmol·L; P < 0.01), with no differences between conditions. In addition, aerobic capacity increased after training (22.3 ± 6.4 vs 24.9 ± 7.6 mL·kg·min; P < 0.01), with no differences between conditions. CONCLUSION: These findings suggest that all three modes of exercise can be prescribed to achieve cardiovascular risk reduction in an aging population.
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Gordon et al. (2019) conducted an RCT in Healthy middle-age adults (n=53). High-intensity single-leg cycling or high-intensity double-leg cycling vs. Moderate-intensity double-leg cycling was evaluated on Cardiovascular risk factors and aerobic capacity (p=<0.01). High-intensity single-leg, high-intensity double-leg, and moderate-intensity double-leg cycling all similarly reduced resting systolic blood pressure (129 to 124 mm Hg; P<0.01) and LDL-c.
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