title: Exercise-induced improvements in cardiorespiratory fitness and heart rate response to exercise are impaired in overweight/obese postmenopausal women.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The purpose of this study was to compare the heart rate response to exercise and the exercise-induced improvements in muscle strength, cardiorespiratory fitness and heart rate response between normal-weight and overweight/obese postmenopausal women.
  
  
  METHODS
  Sedentary women (n = 155) were divided into normal-weight (n = 79; BMI <25 kg/m(2); 58.3 ± 8.6 years) and overweight/obese (n = 76; BMI >25 kg/m(2); 58.3 ± 8.6 years) groups, and have their 1-repetition maximum strength (adjusted for body mass), cardiorespiratory fitness and heart rate response to a graded exercise test compared before and after 12 months of a three times-per-week exercise-training program.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Overweight/obese women displayed decreased upper and lower extremity muscle strengths, decreased cardiorespiratory fitness, and lower peak and reserve heart rates compared to normal-weight women. After follow-up, both groups improved their upper (32.9% and 41.5% in normal-weight and overweight/obese women, respectively) and lower extremity(49.5% and 47.8% in normal-weight and overweight/obese women, respectively) muscle strength. However, only normal-weight women improved their cardiorespiratory fitness (6.6%) and recovery heart rate (5 bpm). Resting, reserve and peak heart rates did not change in either group.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Overweight/obese women displayed impaired heart rate response to exercise. Both groups improved muscle strength, but only normal-weight women improved cardiorespiratory fitness and heart rate response to exercise. These results suggest that exercise-induced improvements in cardiorespiratory fitness and heart rate response to exercise may be impaired in overweight/obese postmenopausal women.
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Kinesiology, Institute of Orthopedics and Traumatology, School of Medicine, University of São Paulo, Brazil. egciolac@hcnet.usp.br
authors.forename: Emmanuel Gomes
authors.initials: EG
authors.lastname: Ciolac
authors.forename: Júlia Maria D'Andréa
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Greve
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D015444:Exercise / Q000502:physiology*; D005260:Female; D006339:Heart Rate / Q000502:physiology*; D006801:Humans; D008875:Middle Aged; D053580:Muscle Strength / Q000502:physiology*; D009765:Obesity / Q000503:physiopathology*; D010809:Physical Fitness / Q000502:physiology*; D017698:Postmenopause / Q000502:physiology*