The effects of aerobic and anaerobic exercise conditioning on resting metabolic rate and the thermic effect of a meal.

This study examined resting metabolic rate (RMR) and thermic effect of a meal (TEM) among athletes who had participated in long-term anaerobic or aerobic exercise. Nine collegiate wrestlers were matched for age, weight, and fat-free weight with 9 collegiate swimmers. Preliminary testing included maximal oxygen consumption, maximal anaerobic capacity (MAnC) for both the arms and the legs, and percent body fat. On two separate occasions, RMR and TEM were measured using indirect calorimetry. VO2max was significantly higher in the swimmers while MAnC was significantly higher in the wrestlers for both the arms and the legs. RMR adjusted for fat-free weight was not significantly different between groups. The differences in total and percentage of TEM between the groups were not statistically significant, and there were no differences in baseline thyroid hormones. These data suggest that despite significant differences in VO2max and WAnT values following long-term aerobic and anaerobic exercise training, resting energy expenditure does not differ between these college athletes.