Effects of circuit weight training by intensity on stress hormones and antioxidant capacity in high-school wrestlers

We aimed to investigate the effects of 8-week circuit weight training by intensity on blood stress hormones and antioxidant capacity in high-school wrestlers. This study involved 27 male wrestlers with >2 years of wrestling experience who were randomly assigned to either a low intensity (n=13) or a high-intensity circuit weight training group (n=14). The participants performed circuit weight training for 60 min per session, 3 times per week for 8 weeks. The low- and high-intensity circuit weight training exercises were performed at 50%-60% and 70%-80% of one-repetition maximum for 10 stations, respectively, and 8-15 repeated sessions per station were performed in order. No changes were observed in adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH), cortisol, epinephrine, and norepinephrine levels between the two training groups. When compared to levels before the training, ACTH and epinephrine levels decreased, whereas cortisol levels increased. However, no difference was observed in norepinephrine levels. Further, no differences were observed in malondialdehyde (MDA) and glutathione peroxidase (GPX) levels between the two groups. However, MDA and GPX levels were increased from those before training. Changes in superoxide dismutase levels were observed between the two groups, but the change was significant only in the high-intensity circuit weight training group. Long-term training did not increase lipid peroxidation, but increased the activity of antioxidant enzymes that defend against oxidative stress. The antioxidant defense system in tissues can be regulated by exercise intensity as well as physical training status.