Comparison of the Effects of Strength and Endurance Training on Irisin, Insulin Resistance, and Body Composition of Obese Male Students

Introduction:Different training methods increase performance capabilities in addition to metabolic changes in body organs.The present study aimed to compare the effect of endurance and strength training on anthropometric indicators, glucose changes, fat metabolism, and irisin levels of young male students.Methods: Thirty-six obese students (age: 21.19 2.43 years; weight: 88.59 6.20 kg; height: 175.41 12.96 cm; body mass index: 30.45; fat percentage: 25.73%) were randomly placed in one of control, endurance, and strength training groups (n= 12).The strength training group trained for 8 week/3 session/4 sets/10 repetitions/ from 50 to 70% of the one repetition maximum (incremental manner, every 2 weeks), and the endurance training group trained for 30 minutes of aerobic jogging with 60 to 80% heart rate maximum.Plasma irisin, glucose, insulin, insulin resistance, fat percentage, body mass index, weight, waist circumference, and hip circumference were measured.The data were analyzed by one-way analysis of variance and Tukey's test at 0.05.Results: Body weight (P = 0.03), fat percentage (P = 0.04), and body mass index (P = 0.04) significantly decreased in the post-test of endurance training group.Irisin level in the post-test in the control group had a significant difference with endurance and strength training (P = 0.01 and P = 0.02, respectively).Insulin in the post-test of the control group was significantly different from the endurance and strength group (P = 0.00 and P = 0.00, respectively).The level of insulin resistance in the post-test of the endurance and strength group had a significant difference compared to the control (P = 0.00 and P = 0.00, respectively).Conclusions: Eight weeks of aerobic treadmill training and strength training with free weights can improve body composition, increase irisin levels, and reduce insulin resistance in obese male adolescents.