Does 12-Week Aerobics Training Influence Body Composition in Middle-Aged Women?

Abstract

Abstract Introduction. It is very important to determine body composition, as it plays a significant role in the formation of many vital functions of the human. The purpose of this research was to assess the effect of 12-week aerobics training on body composition in middle-aged women. Material and methods. Thirteen women aged 35-50 who did not practice any sport actively took part in 12-week aerobics training. Body weight and height were measured, body mass index (BMI) and waist/hip ratio (WHR) were calculated. Body composition parameters: total body water (TBW), extracellular water (ECW) and intracellular water (ICW), fat mass (FM), free fat mass (FFM) muscle mass (MM), and basal metabolic rate (BMR) were measured using BIA method. Results. The 12-week aerobics training elicited increases in ICW, FFM, MM, and BMR and a decrease in hip circumference. Twelve weeks without exercise (control group, n = 10) caused an increase in body mass, BMI and hip circumference. No statistically significant changes were recorded in body composition parameters in the control group. Conclusions. The lack of any physical activity shows that the maintenance of that status can cause overweight followed by obesity.