The Effect of Combined Training on Cardiorespiratory Fitness, IGF-1, Motor Performance, and Muscle Cross-Sectional Area of Obese Elderly Men

Abstract

Introduction: Overweight and obesity are some of the basic problems accompanying people in old-age. Exercise leads to increased levels of IGF-1 and improved motor performance and cardiorespiratory fitness. The aim of this research is investigating the effect of 16 weeks of combined training on cardiorespiratory fitness, IGF-1, motor performance, and muscle cross-sectional area of obese elderly men. Materials and Methods: This semi-experimental study was conducted on 40 obese elderly men with an average age of 61.90 ± 2.84 years in two exercise groups (20 people) and a control group (20 people). The exercise group was included in the combined exercise protocol (16 weeks and three sessions per week, each session lasting 90 minutes), and the control group participated in the research without any intervention. = Anthropometric characteristics, IGF-1, and selected factors of cardiac and physical fitness were taken from the samples 48 hours before and after training. Results: The results showed that 16 weeks of combined training (aerobic and resistance) led to a significant decrease in systolic blood pressure and WHR, and increased VO2 max and motor performance in intragroup and intergroup studies (p≤ 0.05). Conclusion: In general, it seems that combined exercises are effective in improving cardiorespiratory fitness, motor performance, and body composition of obese elderly men.

Keywords

• cardiorespiratory fitness
• igf-1
• motor performance
• muscle cross-sectional area
• obese elderly