Diabetes, Metabolic Syndrome and Obesity (Jan 2017)

Different consecutive training protocols to design an intervention program for overweight youth: a controlled study

  • Fiorilli G,
  • Iuliano E,
  • Aquino G,
  • Campanella E,
  • Tsopani D,
  • Di Costanzo A,
  • Calcagno G,
  • di Cagno A

Journal volume & issue
Vol. Volume 10
pp. 37 – 45

Abstract

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Giovanni Fiorilli,1 Enzo Iuliano,1 Giovanna Aquino,1 Emidio Campanella,1 Despina Tsopani,2 Alfonso Di Costanzo,1 Giuseppe Calcagno,1 Alessandra di Cagno3 1Department of Medicine and Health Sciences, University of Molise, Campobasso, Italy; 2Department of Motor and Health Sciences, National Kapodistrian University of Athens, Athens, Greece; 3Department of Motor, Human and Health Sciences, University of Rome “Foro Italico”, Rome, Italy Objective: To find the optimal exercise program to be recommended in reducing adiposity and promoting long-term physical activity adherence in a sample of overweight adolescents.Methods: Forty-five overweight adolescents were randomly divided into three exercise groups, to perform two phases of physical activity as follows: in the first phase, the first group performed a 16-week moderate-intensity resistance training (RT), the second group performed a 16-week high-intensity RT, and the third group performed a 16-week aerobic training (AT); in the second phase, all groups performed a 6-week AT. Anthropometric body composition and fitness measures were considered as outcome measures.Results: After the second protocol, both RT groups showed a significant improvement in percentage of fat mass (F2,76 = 5.843; p = 0.004; η2 = 0.133) and free fat mass (F2,76 = 6.254; p = 0.003; η2 = 0.141), and in fitness tests (p < 0.01). The VO2max values of the RT groups were significantly higher than those of the AT group (F2,38 = 4.264; p = 0.021; η2 = 0.183). The rate of adherence to exercise was an average of 94% in both RT groups, whereas in the AT group, it was 83%. During the 12-week post-intervention follow-up, the number of participants who continued to perform physical activities was significantly higher in both the RT groups than in the AT group (p < 0.05).Conclusion: The present study provides preliminary evidence that moderate-to-intense RT, followed by AT, can be an effective treatment for overweight adolescents, and the positive effects are maintained even after 12 weeks of follow-up. Keywords: exercise, obesity, adolescents, adherence, resistance training

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