Failure to alter sympathoadrenal response to psychosocial stress following aerobic training

This experiment assessed the impact of aerobic training on sympathoadrenal, heart rate and subjective responses to psychosocial stress. Subjects were six previously sedentary males who demonstrated marked improvement in fitness level following 10 weeks of training. Plasma samples, heart rate and subjective arousal ratings were obtained prior to, during, and following exposure to stressful mental tasks within a laboratory session. With the exception of training-related bradycardia which was manifest throughout the session, no changes in plasma epinephrine and norepinephrine concentrations, heart rate or subjective reactivity or recovery were seen. These findings are inconsistent with the hypothesized beneficial effects of aerobic training on stress-response. Methodological factors such as self-selection inherent in previous correlation work or the duration of the training program should be considered in this context. The potential contribution of training-related bradycardia to enhanced coping with challenging situations is explored.