Comparison of Postexercise Lipid Oxidation Rates Between Lower- and Upper-Body Resistance Training in Well-Trained...

Area of Science:

• Exercise Physiology
• Metabolic Health
• Human Performance

Background:

• Lipid oxidation (LOx) is crucial for metabolic health, but its response to resistance training (RT) in females is not well understood.
• Previous research has not compared LOx patterns between lower-body and upper-body RT during post-exercise recovery in women.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate if lipid oxidation (LOx) rates differ after lower-body versus upper-body resistance training (RT) in trained females.
• To compare post-exercise metabolic responses between exercises engaging different amounts of fat-free mass (FFM).

Main Methods:

• Twenty-two trained females underwent resistance training (RT) protocols for barbell back squat (lower-body) and bench press (upper-body) using 65% of their one-repetition maximum (1RM).
• Volume-load was equated between the lower- and upper-body exercises.
• Metabolic testing, including lipid oxidation (LOx) and resting energy expenditure (REE), was conducted pre-exercise and at immediate, 30-, 60-, and 90-minute intervals post-exercise.

Main Results:

• No significant differences in lipid oxidation (LOx) rates were observed between the lower-body (barbell squat) and upper-body (bench press) resistance training sessions.
• Lipid oxidation (LOx) increased significantly from baseline across both exercise conditions during the 90-minute post-exercise recovery period.
• Resting energy expenditure (REE) did not differ significantly between the lower-body and upper-body resistance training conditions.

Conclusions:

• Resistance training (RT) elicits comparable lipid oxidation (LOx) and resting energy expenditure (REE) responses in females, irrespective of whether the exercise primarily targets lower-body or upper-body muscle mass, provided volume-load is equated.
• These findings support the flexibility of exercise prescription for achieving similar acute metabolic adaptations in women.
• The study highlights that RT can be prescribed across different muscle regions to achieve similar post-exercise metabolic effects.