Circuit resistance training helps decrease body fat, BMI in cardiac rehabilitation
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In patients with CHD, circuit resistance training is effective in improving BMI and body fat percentage and may help delay disease progression, according to data from a meta-analysis of exercise studies.
Research suggests circuit resistance training improves cardiorespiratory fitness in CHD, inconsistent with conventional simple resistance training, which is progressive resistance training based on aerobic training, Shengnan Wang, MD, of the department of cardiology at the Second Affiliated Hospital of Fujian Medical University, China, and colleagues wrote in the study background. Circuit resistance training is characterized by lighter weights, more repetitions and shorter training intervals.
“Aerobic training combined with resistance exercise and aerobic training can significantly improve the cardiopulmonary response in patients with CHD,” Wang and colleagues wrote. “However, controversies remain about the evidence of whether circular resistance training can improve cardiopulmonary endurance, weight loss and lipid reduction in CHD patients.”
In a systematic review and meta-analysis, Wang and colleagues analyzed data from nine randomized controlled trials to determine the rehabilitation effect of circuit resistance training in adults with CHD compared with aerobic training. The mean age of participants across studies was 61 years. Researchers assessed peak oxygen uptake (VO2), BMI, body fat percentage, systolic BP, total cholesterol and triglycerides.
The findings were published in Clinical Cardiology.
The researchers did not observe between-group differences across studies for peak VO2, with a standardized mean difference of 0.3 (95% CI, –0.21 to 0.82; P = .25). However, compared with aerobic training, circuit resistance training significantly decreased the BMI and the body fat percentage.
In a random-effects model, the standardized mean difference between the circuit resistance training and control groups for BMI was –1.07 (95% CI, –1.88 to –0.27; P = .009). In a fixed-effect model, the standardized mean difference in body fat percentage between the circuit resistance training and control groups was –0.68 (95% CI, –1.08 to –0.27; P = .001).
The researchers noted there were differences in the frequency, intensity, duration and type of exercise training adopted across the studies, likely causing differences in the final measurement index results.
“Overall, circuit resistance training did not differ significantly from conventional resistance training in terms of patient benefit,” the researchers wrote. “However, circuit resistance training has the advantage of less load per session and lower training intensity. This makes circuit resistance training more beneficial for CHD patients, especially those with severe CHD or weak physical conditions. Furthermore, circuit resistance training is obviously better than traditional resistance training in improving body fat in patients with CHD, which also makes circuit resistance training a better application prospect.”
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