Functional Resistance Training and Affective Response in Female College-Age Students

Abstract

Introduction Although resistance training (RT) can lead to acute improvements in psychological, physiological and psychosocial outcomes, prevalence rates remain low in college-age females likely due to perceived barriers. This study compared the effects of an acute bout of both a functional RT (FRT) and traditional RT (TRT) session on affect, state anxiety enjoyment and physiological measures. Methods Females (n = 34, mean age = 27 ± 4.5 yr) not currently meeting American College of Sports Medicine RT guidelines completed four sessions (2 FRT, 2 TRT) within 4 wk in a randomized crossover design. Session 1 familiarized participants to the RT exercises. Session 2 consisted of 2 × 10 moderate intensity repetitions. Outcome measures included affect and state anxiety (preexercise, postexercise, and 15 min postexercise); enjoyment (post), and manipulation measures of session RPE and HR). Results Between-condition comparisons indicate change scores in state anxiety pre- to post-15 (P = 0.028) and enjoyment levels post- (P = 0.02) were significantly greater in FRT than TRT. Within-condition analyses revealed pre- to post-15 changes in affect were positive and greater in FRT (d = 0.79) than TRT (d = 0.53, P = 0.47), and greater in decreases in state anxiety (FRT, d = −0.58; TRT, d = −0.37, P = 0.028). Mean session RPE was not significantly different between conditions (FRT 6 ± 1.2 units; TRT 6.3 ± 1.1 units; P = 0.11), though average percent of age-predicted maximum HR (FRT 68.7 ± 7.6; TRT 57.1 ± 8.4) was significantly different (P < 0.01). Conclusions Findings suggest that compared with TRT, FRT is associated with higher acute positive psychological states, higher levels of enjoyment, and greater energy expenditure. Future studies are recommended to examine additional measures of affect and in-task timepoints to determine how these responses relate to maintenance and adherence, thereby potentially increasing the proportion of college females meeting American College of Sports Medicine RT and moderate-to-vigorous physical activity guidelines.

Personalized individual-based exercise prescriptions are effective in treating depressive symptoms of college students during the COVID-19: A randomized controlled trial in China

“…The results of our study found the prescribed aerobic exercise and resistance training have positive effects to relieve depressive symptoms of college students. These findings on the effects of exercise interventions in relieving depressive symptoms are consistent with the conclusion of various previous RCT researches ( 31 , 52 , 53 ) and systematic reviews ( 20 , 21 , 32 ). Besides, such positive effect was well-maintained at 4-week post-intervention in our study, which is consistent with previous studies ( 54 , 55 ), so it is possible that prescribed exercise continuously contributed to the participants’ abilities to deal with depressive stress.…”

The Effects of Increasing Training Load on Affect and Perceived Exertion

“…Although previous research is limited on these topics, there are 3 experiments that have compared the affective responses from machines and free-weights using FS. One experiment found affect to be more positive for free-weight exercises (5) and 2 experiments have found no differences in affect (7,11). These conflicting results suggest interindividual variability among the relationship between exercise modality and affect.…”

Academic Performance and Physical Activities as Positive Factors for Life Satisfaction among University Students

“…As opposed to aggravating factors, there is evidence that university stress may be reduced when engaging in sport activities [22]. Von Rosen et al [23] promoted sport activities as an effective tool in young adults for developing their potential to cope with stress and negative emotions, so it has been considered to be a useful solution to combat stress [24]. It can be especially beneficial in adapting to new environments (such as youth transitioning from secondary to higher education), when young people experience higher levels of stress and anxiety than usual [25].…”