Effects of an individualized home‑based unsupervised aerobic training on body composition and physiological parameters in obese adults are independent of gender

Purpose. Evaluation of the effects of an individualized home-based unsupervised aerobic training on body composition, physical and physiological parameters in female and male obese adults.
Methods. Two hundred twenty obese adults (age 47.9±12.4 year; BMI 38.0±7.2 kg/m2) entered the 4-month training program. Body composition, physiological and functional capacities were assessed pre and post intervention. All subjects were requested to perform unsupervised aerobic training with the intensity based on heart rate, walking speed and OMNI-RPE score corresponding to the individual ventilatory threshold for at least 5 days/week.
Results. After 4-months study period, 40% of patients completed the protocol, 24% had high compliance (HC) (exercise ≥3 days/wk), while 16% had low compliance (LC) to exercise prescription (exercise < than 3 days/wk). In HC group a significant improvement of body composition variables after training was performed. Moreover, oxygen uptake and metabolic equivalent at peak, significantly increased after training. Six minute walking test (6MWT) distance significantly increased while heart rate during 6MWT was significantly lower after training. No significant differences were found in LC group between pre- and post-intervention in all variables. Interestingly, gender does not influence the effects of training.
Conclusions. Our results indicate that subjects, independently from gender, with high compliance to the aerobic training based on a new individualized method can achieve a significant reduction in weight loss and also an improvement in physical and physiological parameters. This innovative personalized prescription could be a valuable tool for exercise physiologist, endocrinologists, and nutritionists to approach and correct life style of obese subjects.