Effect of Endurance, Resistance and Concurrent training on the Function of the cardiac of healthy middle-aged women

Cardiac functional adaptations are affected by gender, age, intensity and type of exercise. The aim of this study was to compare the effect of endurance, resistance, concurrent training on the cardiac function.

Forty healthy middle-aged women (mean age 44/62±3/45 years, height 157/75±4/87 cm and weight 73/27±10/64 kg) were randomly divided into four groups (10 person in each group): Control, Endurance, Strength and Concurrent. The training program was conducted in a period of eight weeks, three sessions per week. Endurance group runs on the treadmill with the intensity of 65% to 80% of the maximal heart rate, the resistance group performed eight exercises with the intensity of 65% to 80% of one-repetition maximum and the concurrent group included performing half of both endurance and resistance training in each session. Cardiac function variables were measured by m-mode and 2-D echocardiography.

End-diastolic volume, stroke volume, cardiac output, and cardiac output index increased significantly in the endurance, resistance, and concurrent exercise groups after exercise (P≤ 0/05). Also ejection fraction showed a significant increase in endurance and concurrent exercise groups (P≤ 0/05).

Eight weeks of endurance, resistance and concurrent training improve cardiac function in healthy middle-aged women. Also, the effect of concurrent training is more than endurance training and endurance training is more than resistance training.