Effects of Concurrent Training Order on Follistatin, Physical Fitness Factors and Functional Capacity of Postmenopausal Women

It has been suggested that concurrent training (CT) improves both health and performance during aging. However, possible effects of CT order have not been evaluated in menopausal women. Therefore, the aim of this study was to evaluate effects of CT order on follistatin, physical fitness factors and functional capacity of postmenopausal women.

In this semi-experimental study, 33 healthy, sedentary, postmenopausal women were divided into three groups of endurance training-resistance training (ET+RT; n=11), resistance training-endurance training (RT+ET; n=10) and control (C; n= 12).  The training exercises were performed three times a week for eight weeks.

Weight and body fat percentage did not differ significantly between the groups (P>0.05). Muscular strength, endurance and aerobic capacity increased significantly in both training groups (P<0.05). However, there was no significant difference between the effects of the training orders. There was a significant time × group interaction regarding the follistatin levels after the CT intervention. However, there was no significant difference in the follistatin levels between the groups.

Based on the results, the order of eight weeks of CT training does not significantly affect body fat percentage, physical fitness factors and functional capacity of postmenopausal women. However, the percentage changes in the mentioned variables are higher in the ET+RT exercise order.