Effect of aerobic exercise training on body composition and heart rate recovery in overweight and obese sedentary Indian women

Heart rate recovery (HRR) is a good predictor of future cardiovascular complications. Aerobic exercise is an effective treatment strategy in obesity management and prevention of cardiovascular complications. It is not known whether aerobic exercise can influence the heart rate recovery in obese females. The objective of our study was to investigate the effect of 8 weeks aerobic exercise program on body composition and heart rate recovery in obese female individuals. 20 obese females in study group and 20 participants in control group were included who completed 8 weeks aerobic exercise program at an intensity of 70-85% of their heart rate maximum. Descriptive statistics and repeated measures ANOVA were used to compare the effect of aerobic exercise on the outcomes between the study and control groups. There was a significant improvement in study group following 8 weeks aerobic exercise on heart rate recovery and body composition.