Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Randomized Controlled Trial
. 2009 Mar;41(3):539-45.
doi: 10.1249/MSS.0b013e3181896c4e.

Volume of exercise and fitness nonresponse in sedentary, postmenopausal women

Susan B Sisson  1 , Peter T Katzmarzyk, Conrad P Earnest, Claude Bouchard, Steven N Blair, Timothy S Church
Affiliations
Randomized Controlled Trial

Volume of exercise and fitness nonresponse in sedentary, postmenopausal women

Susan B Sisson et al. Med Sci Sports Exerc. 2009 Mar.

Abstract

There is a wide individual heterogeneity in the maximal aerobic fitness (V x O 2max) response to exercise training.

Purpose: To examine predictors of V x O 2max nonresponse after aerobic exercise training in postmenopausal women.

Methods: The Dose Response to Exercise in Women (DREW) study was a randomized, controlled trial examining the effects of incremental training doses on sedentary postmenopausal women (45-75 yr). Participants were randomized to one of three exercise treatment groups (4, 8, or 12 kcal x kg(-1) x wk(-1)) for 6 months. Participants exercised 3-4 d x wk(-1) at 50% V x O 2max. Predictors of baseline V x O 2max were determined by ANOVA. We used a logistic regression analyses with categorical (ethnicity and treatment group) and standardized continuous variables (age, body mass index [BMI], and baseline V x O 2max) to determine predictors of nonresponse (Delta <or= 0 L x min(-1)). Our analysis included 310 women because the control group was excluded.

Results: A total of 44.9%, 23.8%, and 19.3% of the 4-, the 8-, and the 12-kcal x kg(-1) x wk(-1) treatment groups (P < 0.0001), respectively, were nonresponders. Maximal effort, BMI, age, and race significantly predicted baseline V x O 2max. Treatment group (8 and 12 kcal x kg(-1) x wk(-1) vs 4 kcal x kg(-1) x wk(-1); P = 0.0003), baseline V x O 2max (P < 0.0001), and age (P < 0.05) were significant predictors of nonresponse. Odds ratios and 95% confidence intervals were 2.13 (1.53-2.95) for baseline V x O 2max; 1.35 (1.00-1.83) for age; 0.45 (0.24-0.85) for the 8- versus the 4-kcal x kg(-1) x wk(-1) group; and 0.27 (0.13-0.53) for the 12- versus the 4-kcal x kg(-1) x wk(-1) group.

Conclusion: Women that were younger, less fit, or exercised more during the DREW trial had greater odds of improving their fitness with training. The most important finding of this study was that greater volumes of exercise were associated with a lower probability of being a nonresponder.

PubMed Disclaimer

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Individual variability in absolute VO2 response to exercise training by treatment group
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Blair SN, Haskell WL, Ho P, Paffenbarger RS, Jr, Vranizan KM, Farquhar JW, Wood PD. Assessment of habitual physical activity by a seven-day recall in a community survey and controlled experiments. Am J Epidemiol. 1985;122:794–804. - PubMed
    1. Blair SN, Kampert JB, Kohl HW, 3rd, Barlow CE, Macera CA, Paffenbarger RS, Jr, Gibbons LW. Influences of cardiorespiratory fitness and other precursors on cardiovascular disease and all-cause mortality in men and women. Jama. 1996;276:205–210. - PubMed
    1. Blair SN, Kohl HW, 3rd, Barlow CE, Paffenbarger RS, Jr, Gibbons LW, Macera CA. Changes in physical fitness and all-cause mortality. A prospective study of healthy and unhealthy men. Jama. 1995;273:1093–1098. - PubMed
    1. Bouchard C. Human adaptability may have a genetic basis. In: Landry F, editor. Health risk estimation, risk reduction and health promotion; Proceedings of the 18th annual meeting of the Society of Prospective Medicine; Ottawa: Canadian Public Health Association; 1983. pp. 463–476.
    1. Bouchard C, An P, Rice T, Skinner JS, Wilmore JH, Gagnon J, Perusse L, Leon AS, Rao DC. Familial aggregation of VO(2max) response to exercise training: results from the HERITAGE Family Study. J Appl Physiol. 1999;87:1003–1008. - PubMed

Publication types