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

doi:10.61882/JBUMS.32.3.248

Volume 32, Issue 3 (Autumn 2025) Journal of Translational Medical Research. 2025, 32(3): 248-257 | Back to browse issues page

‎ 10.61882/JBUMS.32.3.248

Research code: IR.Qums.REC.1401.276

Ethics code: IR.Qums.REC.1401.276

Mendeley

Zotero

RefWorks

Koushiar A, Gholami M, Biniaz S A, Ghazalian F, Abednatanzi H. The effect of eight weeks of progressive resistance training and electrical muscle stimulation on cardiac health indicators in Inactive individuals. Journal of Translational Medical Research. 2025; 32 (3) :248-257
URL: http://journal.bums.ac.ir/article-1-3529-en.html

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: (1122 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

Full-Text [PDF 572 kb] (497 Downloads) | | Full-Text (HTML) (42 Views)

Type of Study: Original Article | Subject: Exercise Physiology
Received: 2025/06/15 | Accepted: 2025/10/7 | ePublished ahead of print: 2025/10/8 | ePublished: 2025/11/11

References

1. Lee J, Stone AJ. Combined aerobic and resistance training for cardiorespiratory fitness, muscle strength, and walking capacity after stroke: a systematic review and meta-analysis. J Stroke Cerebrovasc Dis. 2020;29(1):104498. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/31732460/. [DOI:10.1016/j.jstrokecerebrovasdis.2019.104498] [PMID]

2. Yaghoubi M, Ramezanii S. The effect of resistance training at home on different dimensions of quality of life, blood pressure and indices of abdominal obesity in the elderly during COVID-19 quarantine. Caspian Journal of Health and Aging. 2020 & 2021;5(2): 80-94. https://cjhaa.mubabol.ac.ir/article-1-130-en.pdf

3. Oda E. LDL cholesterol was more strongly associated with percent body fat than body mass index and waist circumference in a health screening population. Obes Res Clin Pract. 2018;12(2):195-203. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/28619601/. [DOI:10.1016/j.orcp.2017.05.005] [PMID]

4. Ribeiro AS, Tomeleri CM, Souza MF, Pina FLC, Schoenfeld BJ, Nascimento MA, et al. Effect of resistance training on C-reactive protein, blood glucose and lipid profile in older women with differing levels of RT experience. Age. 2015; 37:;37(6):109. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/26499819/. [DOI:10.1007/s11357-015-9849-y] [PMID] []

5. Ramezani S, Porrahim Ghouroghchi A, Yaghobi M, Afroundeh R, Rasouli M. The Effect of Eight Weeks of Resistance Training on the Plasma Levels of Preptin and Endothelin 1 in Men with Type 2 Diabetes. Iranian Journal of Diabetes and Metabolism. 2023;23(2):80-90. URL: https://journals.tums.ac.ir/ijdld/article-1-6206-en.html

6. Yaghoubi M, Ramezani S, Shamsi B, Barfi V. The Effect of a Water Exercise Course on Body Composition and Quality of Life of Overweight Elderly Men. J Mar Med. 2022;3(4):180-7. URL: http://jmarmed.ir/article-1-307-en.html

7. Tagawa K, Ra S-G, Kumagai H, Yoshikawa T, Yoshida Y, Takekoshi K, et al. Effects of resistance training on arterial compliance and plasma endothelin-1 levels in healthy men. Physiol Res. 2018;67. URL: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/29947536/ [DOI:10.33549/physiolres.933818] [PMID]

8. Ramezani S, Parasteah M, Zohrehvandian K. The effect of resistance training on plasma levels of endothelin 1 and blood pressure in older men. J North Khorasan Univ of Med Sci. 2020;12(3):31-9. URL: http://journal.nkums.ac.ir/article-1-2149-en.html [DOI:10.52547/nkums.12.3.31]

9. Amaro-Gahete FJ, De-La-O A, Sanchez-Delgado G, Robles-Gonzalez L, Jurado-Fasoli L, Ruiz JR, et al. Functional exercise training and undulating periodization enhances the effect of whole-body electromyostimulation training on running performance. Front in Physiol. 2018;9:720. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/29951003/ [DOI:10.3389/fphys.2018.00720] [PMID] []

10. Trivedi V, Mishra N, Ali K. Effect of Electrical Muscle Stimulation and Resistance Training on the Lipid Profile in Sedentary Type-II Diabetic Individuals: An Experimental Study. Journal of Clinical & Diagnostic Research. 2025;19(6): YC01 - YC06. DOI: [DOI:10.7860/JCDR/2025/78626.21071]

11. Yaghoubi M, Ramezani S, Parastesh M. The effect of 8 weeks of aerobic exercise in water on lipid profile and plasma levels of endothelin 1 in elderly men with prehypertension. Daneshvar Medicine. 2024;32(2):39-51. https://daneshvarmed.shahed.ac.ir/article_4476.html?lang=en

12. Afsharnezhad T, Ayatizadeh F, Soumander SY, Sadeghian Shahi M. Effect of whole-body electromyostimulation with and without suspension training on physical performance of obese women. Journal of Sports and Biomotor Sciences. 2023;14(28):85-95. https://sbs.hsu.ac.ir/article_174245_en.html

13. Riyahi E, Reisi J, Marandi SM, Abdollahi M. Training with electrical muscle stimulation: a novel method to improve Body Mass Index, lipid profile, growth hormone, and cortisol in overweight subjects. J Sports Med Phys Fitness. 2025. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/40094465/ [DOI:10.23736/S0022-4707.25.16188-4] [PMID]

14. Salhi A, Ouerghi N, Zouhal H, Baaziz M, Salhi A, Ben Salah FZ, et al. The Effect of Whole-Body Electromyostimulation Program on Physical Performance and Selected Cardiometabolic Markers in Obese Young Females. Medicina. 2024;60(2):230. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/38399518/ [DOI:10.3390/medicina60020230] [PMID] []

15. Lee KY, Hui-Chan CW, Tsang WW. The effects of practicing sitting Tai Chi on balance control and eye-hand coordination in the older adults: a randomized controlled trial. Disabil Rehabil. 2015;37(9):790-4. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/25060039/ [DOI:10.3109/09638288.2014.942003] [PMID]

16. Tartibian B, Kushkestani M, Ebrahimpour Nosrani S. The effect of 12-week endurance training on lipid profiles and fat percentage of overweight girls. New Approaches in Sport Sciences. 2019;1(1):189-200. DOI: 10.22054/nass.2019.10134

17. Hoseinpour AN, Bassami M, Ahmadizad S, Donath L, Setayesh S, Mirzaei M, et al. The influence of resistance training on inflammatory markers, body composition and functional capacity in healthy older adults: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Arch Gerontol Geriatr. 2024:105731. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/39740358/ [DOI:10.1016/j.archger.2024.105731] [PMID]

18. Tomeleri CM, Ribeiro AS, Souza MF, Schiavoni D, Schoenfeld BJ, Venturini D, et al. Resistance training improves inflammatory level, lipid and glycemic profiles in obese older women: A randomized controlled trial. Exp Gerontol. 2016;84:80-7. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/27616162/ [DOI:10.1016/j.exger.2016.09.005] [PMID]

19. Cruz-Jentoft AJ, Landi F, Schneider SM, Zúñiga C, Arai H, Boirie Y, et al. Prevalence of and interventions for sarcopenia in ageing adults: a systematic review. Report of the International Sarcopenia Initiative (EWGSOP and IWGS). Age Ageing. 2014;43(6):748-59. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/25241753/ [DOI:10.1093/ageing/afu115] [PMID] []

20. Park S, Min S, Park S-H, Yoo J, Jee Y-S. Influence of isometric exercise combined with electromyostimulation on inflammatory cytokine levels, muscle strength, and knee joint function in elderly women with early knee osteoarthritis. Front in Physiol. 2021;12:688260. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/34326779/ [DOI:10.3389/fphys.2021.688260] [PMID] []