“The effects of resistance training on body composition in postmenopausal women”

ABSTRACT: Obesity especially abdominal fat accumulation after menopause is the main reason of metabolic disorders. The effect of different interventions on visceral fat is a matter of importance though. The aim of this experimental study was to investigate the effects of resistance exercise training on body composition in postmenopausal women. Postmenopausal women were divided into experimental (EXP; n=10) and control (CON; n=10) groups. The exercise consisted of 24 weeks of resistance exercise (3 days/week, 60-75 min/day). Results show that after 24 weeks of training, there was a significant difference between CON and EXP groups in body fat percent, waist circumference and waist to hip ratio (WC, %FB and WHR); however, no significant differences in body weight, body mass Index, body fat mass and basal metabolic rate (BW, BMI, BFM and BMR) were observed between them. These results suggest that 24-week exercise training induces a decrease in visceral fat, and this reduction is without weight loss in postmenopausal women. So, we concluded that resistance exercise training is a positive strategy to control visceral fat accumulation in postmenopausal women.