Effects of 8 weeks jogging programme on body fat in untrained Women

Abstract

This study was designed to measure the effects of 8 weeks continuous jogging programme on abdominal fat and total adiposity in 27 untrained female undergraduate students aged 21- 39 years. Subjects were randomly assigned to a control group (n = 13) and a continuous jogging group (n = 14). Subjects in the experimental group jogged 3.2 km three times a week for 8 weeks at an intensity of 80% of their age predicted maximal heart rate. Abdominal fat and total fat mass (TFM) were estimated before and after the training programme. Results indicated no significant (p > 0.05) training effect on abdominal fat but a significant (p < 0.05) reduction in TFM was observed. It was concluded that exercise training of 8-week duration may have significant impact on reduction of total adiposity but not abdominal fat in non athletic women.

Key words: Aerobic training, visceral fat, total adiposity, untrained women.


(Af. J. Physical, Health Education, Recreation and Dance: 2002 8(1): 37-48)