gms | German Medical Science

Objective: The purpose of this study was to assess the effect of two different supervised exercise regimens on body composition, physical fitness tests, and blood chemistry in sedentary, overweight and obese female military personnel.

Material/Methods: Seventy-nine overweight or obese female military personnel, with a mean age of 28.67±4.9 year and a mean body weight of 92.60±15.30 kg, were recruited from the United Arab Emirates Defence Forces. Participants were randomized into one of two groups. The intervention consisted of either running plus gym-based exercise (R&G group) (n = 40), or dance-based exercise plus ball-based exercise (D&B group) (n = 39). Participants in both groups were given similar dietary advice during the intervention period. Baseline and post-intervention testing involved the assessment of body composition, blood pressure, a fitness test and blood lipid profile. The exercise regime for the R&G group consisted of 60 minutes running plus 60 minutes of gym-based exercise, 4 times weekly for 12 weeks, while the D&B group exercise regimen consisted of 60 minutes of aerobic dance plus 60 minutes of ball-based exercise, 4 times weekly for 12 weeks.

Results: Body composition measures, including body weight, BMI, fat mass, percentage of body fat, waist circumference, as well as hip circumference decreased significantly over time (P < 0.0001) in both groups. All components of the physical fitness test (shuttle, push-up and sit-up) improved significantly over time (P < 0.0001) in both groups. The two exercise schemes produced only subtle differences in blood chemistry, e.g. total cholesterol level and low density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol were decreased significantly in R&G group (P < 0.0001), but not in D&B group.

Conclusion: Both exercise interventions resulted in significant improvements over time in numerous health and fitness variables in an overweight and obese population.