Background: The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of a 12 week course of 30 minutes of circuit hydraulic-resistance exercise training program on body composition, blood pressure, and blood lipids in obese women.
Methods: The study group comprised of 29 obese middle-aged women, with percent (%) body fat over 30. The subjects were randomly divided into either control group (n = 15) or training group (n = 14). The training group participated in a 12 week course of supervised circuit exercise training program which is a resistance exercise involving the whole body. The exercise lasted for 30 minutes per session and the sessions were held three times per week. The resistance exercise program consisted of one set of 30 repetitions at low intensity on hydraulic-resistance machine. Each resistance exercise included walking on the air-board for one minute. An intensity of 60 to 80% of maximum heart rate (MHR) was maintained during exercise training. The control group did not participate in any exercise program.
Results: All of the studied variables were improved after the intervention. An interaction effect between time and group on body weight, BMI, % body fat, WHR, SBP, DBP, TC, TG, HDL-C, and LDL-C was observed (P < 0.01).
Conclusion: In conclusion, the results of the current study suggest that moderate-low intensity circuit hydraulic-resistance exercise training program, with 12 weeks of duration, could be enough to have a positive influence on body composition, blood pressure, and blood lipids in obese women.

Keywords: Obesity, Hydraulic-resistance circuit exercise,
Body composition, Blood pressure, Blood lipid

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