The effect of eight weeks of progressive resistance training and electrical muscle stimulation on cardiac health indicators in Inactive individuals

Koushiar, Aida; Gholami, Mandana; Biniaz, Sayed Abbas; Ghazalian, Farshad; Abednatanzi, Hosein

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Research code: IR.Qums.REC.1401.276

Ethics code: IR.Qums.REC.1401.276

The effect of eight weeks of progressive resistance training and electrical muscle stimulation on cardiac health indicators in Inactive individuals

Aida Koushiar¹

, Mandana Gholami ^*²

, Sayed Abbas Biniaz³

, Farshad Ghazalian¹

, Hosein Abednatanzi¹

1- Department of Professional Physical Education and Sports Sciences, Science and Research Branch, Islamic Azad University, Tehran, Iran
2- Department of Professional Physical Education and Sports Sciences, Science and Research Branch, Islamic Azad University, Tehran, Iran , gholami_man@yahoo.com
3- Department of Physical Education and Sport Sciences, Qazvin Branch, Islamic Azad University, Qazvin, Iran

Abstract: (278 Views)

This study aimed to compare the effect of eight weeks of resistance training and electrical muscle stimulation on cardiovascular health indicators and C-reactive protein levels in inactive women.
In this quasi-experimental study, 45 inactive women, aged 30-40 years, were randomly divided into three groups: resistance training (n=15), electrical stimulation (n=15), and control (n=15). Before and after the intervention, anthropometric indicators and blood sampling were collected to measure lipid indices and C-reactive protein levels. The training protocol consisted of eight weeks of training, with three sessions per week. Shapiro-Wilk tests and analysis of covariance (ANCOVA) were used to analyze the data at a significance level of 0.05.
The results of the present study showed that the lipid indices of total cholesterol (P=0.005), triglycerides (P=0.004), low-density lipoprotein (LDL) (P=0.009), and C-reactive protein (P=0.001) exhibited significant differences among the three research groups. However, no significant difference was observed in the high-density lipoprotein index between the intervention and comparison groups (P<0.05). The results of the intra-group test showed that the lipid profile indices, including triglycerides (P=0.001), total cholesterol (P=0.001), LDL (P=0.001), and C-reactive protein (P=0.001), were lower in the resistance training group than in the control and electrical stimulation groups.
The results obtained from the present study showed that resistance training improves the lipid profile and reduces C-reactive protein in inactive women. It appears that resistance training can be used alone or in combination with electrical stimulation exercises to enhance overall health in both healthy and ill individuals.

Keywords: C-reactive protein, Electrical muscle stimulation, Lipid profile, Resistance training

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Type of Study: Original Article | Subject: Exercise Physiology
Received: 2025/06/15 | Accepted: 2025/10/7 | ePublished ahead of print: 2025/10/8