Effects of 6-Week Traditional and Functional Resistance Training on Arterial Stiffness and Muscular Strength in Healthy Young Men.

BACKGROUND

The present study investigated the effects of traditional resistance training (TRT) and functional resistance training (FRT) on arterial stiffness and muscular strength in healthy young men.

METHODS

This randomized controlled trial included 29 untrained healthy young men aged 18-29 years who were randomly divided into two groups, namely, TRT group ( = 15) and FRT group ( = 14). All participants underwent numerous tests, such as those for body composition, cardio-ankle vascular index, blood pressure, heart rate, and maximal strength before and after the 6-week training program. The exercise training comprised whole-body strength training exercises 3 days a week for 6 weeks. The total training volume and number of sets (4-5 sets) were kept constantly similar in each group. The TRT group completed 4-5 sets of 8-12 repetitions [70% of 1 repetition maximum (1RM)], whereas the FRT group completed 4-5 sets of 15-22 repetitions (40% 1RM).

RESULTS

The TRT and FRT groups exhibited equally significantly increased maximal strength (within group: both  < 0.01). Furthermore, the independent -test showed that the differences between the two groups in terms of changes in maximal strength were no significant (between group: both  > 0.05). Additionally, significant main effects of time (pre vs. post) were observed for the left and right cardio-ankle vascular indices ( < 0.05); however, no significant difference were observed between the groups. For body compositions outcome measures, no significant differences between groups were observed.

CONCLUSION

Six weeks of FRT and TRT exhibit no difference in terms of effects on arterial stiffness and muscular strength.