EFFECT OF STRENGTH TRAINING ON CARDIOVASCULAR VARIABLES IN OVERWEIGHT ADOLESCENTS

Abstract

Objective: This study aimed to evaluate the acute cardiorespiratory and autonomic responses induced by a resistive exercise session in overweight adolescents. Methods: We evaluated 17 male adolescents divided into control group (CG, n = 9) and overweight group (OWG, n = 7). All patients underwent one session of resistance exercises for different muscle groups, performed with overload of 60% of maximum strength, with an interval of 45 seconds between sets and 90 seconds between each exercise. Before, during and after the exercise session the following parameters were evaluated: heart rate (HR), systolic blood pressure (SBP), diastolic blood pressure (DBP) and heart rate variability (HRV). Results: We observed similar behavior in both groups of SBP and DBP. The SBP increased during exercise while the DBP decreased. Both returned to baseline during recovery. HR increased during the workout in the two groups, but return to resting values only occurred in the OWG. The HRV indices in the time domain (VAR RR and RMSSD) behaved similarly to the exercise in both groups, but the SDNN index only returned to resting values in the OWG. HRV in the frequency domain exhibited similar behavior in both groups. Conclusions: It is suggested that the increased level of physical activity in overweight individuals can prevent autonomic changes that are associated with increased body weight and confer a protective effect on the cardiovascular system