Aerobic exercise and strength training effects on cardiovascular sympathetic function in healthy adults: a randomized controlled trial.

Objective: Exercise has widely documented cardioprotective effects, but the mechanisms underlying these effects are not entirely known. Previously, we demonstrated that aerobic but not strength training lowered resting heart rate and increased cardiac vagal regulation, changes that were reversed by sedentary deconditioning. Here, we focus on the sympathetic nervous system and test whether aerobic training lowers levels of cardiovascular sympathetic activity in rest and that deconditioning would reverse this effect.

Impact of aerobic training on cardiovascular reactivity to and recovery from challenge.

Objective: To test the hypothesis that aerobic, but not strength, training would lead to attenuated reactivity to and more rapid recovery from cognitive and orthostatic challenge and that deconditioning would reverse this effect.

Methods: We conducted a randomized controlled trial contrasting the effects of aerobic versus strength training on heart rate, four indices of RR interval variability, and blood pressure reactivity to and recovery from psychological and orthostatic challenge in 149 healthy, young, sedentary adults. Subjects were randomized to 12-week aerobic or strength training programs and studied before and after training and again after 4 weeks of sedentary deconditioning.

The effect of aerobic training and cardiac autonomic regulation in young adults.

Objectives: We tested the effect of aerobic exercise on autonomic regulation of the heart in healthy young adults.

Methods: Healthy, sedentary young adults (n = 149; age = 30.4 +/- 7.