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Body composition, fitness, and metabolic health during strength and endurance training and their combination in middle-aged and older women

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Abstract

In this study adaptations in body composition, physical fitness and metabolic health were examined during 21 weeks of endurance and/or strength training in 39- to 64-year-old healthy women. Subjects (n = 62) were randomized into endurance training (E), strength training (S), combined strength and endurance training (SE), or control groups (C). S and E trained 2 and SE 2 + 2 times in a week. Muscle strength and maximal oxygen uptake (VO2max) were measured. Leg extension strength increased 9 ± 8% in S (P < 0.001), 12 ± 8% in SE (P < 0.001) and 3 ± 4% in E (P = 0.036), and isometric bench press 20% only in both S and SE (P < 0.001). VO2max increased 23 ± 18% in E and 16 ± 12% in SE (both P < 0.001). The changes in the total body fat (dual X-ray absorptiometry) did not differ between groups, but significant decreases were observed in E (−5.9%, P = 0.022) and SE (−4.8%, P = 0.005). Lean mass of the legs increased 2.2–2.9% (P = 0.004–0.010) in S, SE and E. There were no differences between the groups in the changes in blood lipids, blood pressure or serum glucose and insulin. Total cholesterol and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol decreased and high-density lipoprotein cholesterol increased in E. Both S and SE showed small decreases in serum fasting insulin. Both endurance and strength training and their combination led to expected training-specific improvements in physical fitness, without interference in fitness or muscle mass development. All training methods led to increases in lean body mass, but decreases in body fat and modest improvements in metabolic risk factors were more evident with aerobic training than strength training.

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Acknowledgments

This study was partly supported by a grant from the Ministry of Education, Finland and the Central Finland Health Care District, Jyväskylä Finland.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Biology of Physical Activity, University of Jyväskylä, P.O. Box 35 (VIV), 40014, Jyväskylä, Finland

    Elina Sillanpää, Laura Karavirta, Benjamin Jensen & Keijo Häkkinen

  2. Department of Medicine, Kuopio University Hospital, University of Kuopio, Kuopio, Finland

    David E. Laaksonen

  3. Department of Physiology, University of Kuopio, Kuopio, Finland

    David E. Laaksonen

  4. Department of Health Sciences, University of Jyväskylä, Jyväskylä, Finland

    Arja Häkkinen

  5. Central Hospital of Jyväskylä, Jyväskylä, Finland

    Arja Häkkinen & Kai Nyman

  6. Human Performance Laboratory, Department of Kinesiology, University of Connecticut, Storrs, CT, USA

    William J. Kraemer

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  1. Elina Sillanpää
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  2. David E. Laaksonen
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  3. Arja Häkkinen
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  4. Laura Karavirta
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  8. Keijo Häkkinen
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Correspondence to Elina Sillanpää.

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Sillanpää, E., Laaksonen, D.E., Häkkinen, A. et al. Body composition, fitness, and metabolic health during strength and endurance training and their combination in middle-aged and older women. Eur J Appl Physiol 106, 285–296 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00421-009-1013-x

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