Skip to main content

Advertisement

SpringerLink
Log in

Effects of CrossFit training on lipid profiles, body composition and physical fitness in overweight men

  • Original Article
  • Published:
Sport Sciences for Health Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Purpose

The aim of this study was to investigate the influence of the CrossFit training on cardiovascular risk factors in overweight men.

Methods

Twenty-six overweight men (age, 21.6 ± 1.6 years; weight, 86.6 ± 13.1 kg; height, 176.1 ± 6.28 and BMI, 27.8 ± 3.17 kg m2) were randomly divided into two groups of CrossFit (n = 14) and control (n = 12). Subjects in CrossFit group performed five sessions of CrossFit training per week for 4 weeks; while, subjects in control group had no regular exercise. Exercise session included continuous all-out cycling, burpee and squat exercises. Body composition, maximal oxygen uptake (V̇O2max), anaerobic performance, blood pressure (BP) and lipid profile were assessed in the both groups before and after training.

Results

Data analyses showed that weight, BMI, body fat percentage, resting heart rate, diastolic BP, V̇O2max, peak and average power, triglyceride (TG), low-density lipoprotein (LDL) and LDL–high-density lipoprotein (HDL) ratio significantly improved in CrossFit training in comparison to control group. However, waist, hip and thigh circumferences, waist–hip ratio, systolic BP, HDL and very-low-density lipoprotein (vLDL) were not significantly different between groups (P > 0.05).

Conclusions

It is concluded that 4 weeks of CrossFit training induces considerable changes in body composition, physical fitness and lipid profiles (except for HDL) in overweight people.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1
Fig. 2
Fig. 3

Similar content being viewed by others

Data availability

The datasets generated and analyzed are available from the corresponding author on reasonable request.

Abbreviations

V̇O2max:

Maximal oxygen uptake

BP:

Blood pressure

TG:

Triglyceride

LDL:

Low-density lipoprotein

HDL:

High-density lipoprotein

VDL:

Very-low-density lipoprotein

CVD:

Cardiovascular diseases

CHD:

Coronary heart diseases

HIIE:

High-intensity intermittent exercise

References

  1. Nammi S, Koka S, Chinnala KM, Boini KM (2004) Obesity: an overview on its current perspectives and treatment options. Nutr J 3:3

    PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  2. World Health Organization. Obesity and overweight (2018) https://www.whoint/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/obesity-and-overweight

  3. Bastien M, Poirier P, Lemieux I, Després J-P (2014) Overview of epidemiology and contribution of obesity to cardiovascular disease. Prog Cardiovasc Dis 56:369–381

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  4. World Health Organization. Cardiovascular Diseases (CVDs) (2017) https://www.whoint/en/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/cardiovascular-diseases-(cvds)

  5. Murakami T, Horigome H, Tanaka K, Nakata Y, Ohkawara K, Katayama Y, Matsui A (2007) Impact of weight reduction on production of platelet-derived microparticles and fibrinolytic parameters in obesity. Thromb Res 119:45–53

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  6. Keteyian SJ et al (2008) Peak aerobic capacity predicts prognosis in patients with coronary heart disease. Am Heart J 156:292–300

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  7. Hussain SR, Macaluso A, Pearson SJ (2016) High-intensity interval training versus moderate-intensity continuous training in the prevention/management of cardiovascular disease. Cardiol Rev 24:273–281

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  8. Ounis OB, Elloumi M, Chiekh IB, Zbidi A, Amri M, Lac G, Tabka Z (2008) Effects of two-month physical-endurance and diet-restriction programmes on lipid profiles and insulin resistance in obese adolescent boys. Diabetes Metab 34:595–600

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  9. Poirier P, Després J-P (2001) Exercise in weight management of obesity. Cardiol Clin 19:459–470

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  10. Thompson PD, Arena R, Riebe D, Pescatello LS (2013) ACSM’s new preparticipation health screening recommendations from ACSM’s guidelines for exercise testing and prescription. Curr Sports Med Rep 12:215–217

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  11. Expert Panel on Detection E (2001) Executive summary of the third report of the National Cholesterol Education Program (NCEP) expert panel on detection, evaluation, and treatment of high blood cholesterol in adults (Adult Treatment Panel III). JAMA 285:2486

    Google Scholar 

  12. Hokanson JE, Austin MA (1996) Plasma triglyceride level is a risk factor for cardiovascular disease independent of high-density lipoprotein cholesterol level: a metaanalysis of population-based prospective studies. J Cardiovasc Risk 3:213–219

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  13. Babraj JA, Vollaard NB, Keast C, Guppy FM, Cottrell G, Timmons JA (2009) Extremely short duration high intensity interval training substantially improves insulin action in young healthy males. BMC Endocr Disord 9:3

    PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  14. Terada T, Friesen A, Chahal BS, Bell GJ, McCargar LJ, Boulé NG (2013) Feasibility and preliminary efficacy of high intensity interval training in type 2 diabetes. Diabetes Res Clin Pract 99:120–129

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  15. Weston KS, Wisløff U, Coombes JS (2014) High-intensity interval training in patients with lifestyle-induced cardiometabolic disease: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Br J Sports Med 48:1227–1234

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  16. Benedini S et al (2017) Irisin: a potential link between physical exercise and metabolism—an observational study in differently trained subjects, from elite athletes to sedentary people. J Diabetes Res 2017:1

    Google Scholar 

  17. Braith RW, Stewart KJ (2006) Resistance exercise training: its role in the prevention of cardiovascular disease. Circulation 113:2642–2650

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  18. LeMura LM, von Duvillard SP, Andreacci J, Klebez JM, Chelland SA, Russo J (2000) Lipid and lipoprotein profiles, cardiovascular fitness, body composition, and diet during and after resistance, aerobic and combination training in young women. Eur J Appl Physiol 82:451–458

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  19. Williams MA et al (2007) Resistance exercise in individuals with and without cardiovascular disease: 2007 update: a scientific statement from the American Heart Association Council on Clinical Cardiology and Council on Nutrition Physical Activity, and Metabolism. Circulation 116:572–584

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  20. Heisz JJ, Tejada MGM, Paolucci EM, Muir C (2016) Enjoyment for high-intensity interval exercise increases during the first six weeks of training: implications for promoting exercise adherence in sedentary adults. PLoS ONE. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0168534

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  21. Feito Y, Heinrich K, Butcher S, Poston W (2018) High-intensity functional training (HIFT): definition and research implications for improved fitness. Sports 6:76

    PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  22. Tibana RA et al (2016) Two consecutive days of crossfit training affects pro and anti-inflammatory cytokines and osteoprotegerin without impairments in muscle power. Front Phys. https://doi.org/10.3389/fphys.2016.00260

    Article  Google Scholar 

  23. Smith MM, Sommer AJ, Starkoff BE, Devor ST (2013) Crossfit-based high-intensity power training improves maximal aerobic fitness and body composition. J Strength Cond Res 27:3159–3172

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  24. Sibley BA (2012) Using sport education to implement a CrossFit unit. J Phys Educ Recreat Dance 83:42–48

    Google Scholar 

  25. Butcher SJ, Neyedly TJ, Horvey KJ, Benko CR (2015) Do physiological measures predict selected CrossFit® benchmark performance? Open Access J Sports Med 6:241

    PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  26. Drake N, Smeed J, Carper MJ, Crawford DA (2017) Effects of short-term CrossFit™ training: a magnitude-based approach. J Exerc Physiol Online 20:111–133

    Google Scholar 

  27. Lohman TG, Roche AF, Martorell R (1988) Anthropometric standardization reference manual. Human Kinetics Books,

  28. Pescatello LS, Thompson WR, Gordon NF (2009) A preview of ACSM's guidelines for exercise testing and prescription. ACSM's Health Fit J 13:23–26

    Google Scholar 

  29. Gibala MJ et al (2006) Short-term sprint interval versus traditional endurance training: similar initial adaptations in human skeletal muscle and exercise performance. J Physiol 575:901–911

    CAS  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  30. Borg GA, Noble BJ (1974) Perceived exertion. Exerc Sport Sci Rev 2:131–154

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  31. Cohen J (1992) Quantitative methods in psychology: a power primer. Psychol Bull 112:1155–1159

    Google Scholar 

  32. Brisebois M, Rigby B, Nichols D (2018) Physiological and fitness adaptations after eight weeks of high-intensity functional training in physically inactive adults. Sports 6:146

    PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  33. Claudino JG et al (2018) Crossfit overview: systematic review and meta-analysis. Sports Med-Open 4:11

    PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  34. Eather N, Morgan PJ, Lubans DR (2016) Improving health-related fitness in adolescents: the CrossFit Teens™ randomised controlled trial. J Sports Sci 34:209–223

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  35. Alberti KGMM, Zimmet P, Shaw J (2006) Metabolic syndrome—a new world-wide definition. A consensus statement from the international diabetes federation. Diabet Med 23:469–480

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  36. Lagacé JC, Tremblay D, Paquin J, Marcotte-Chénard A, Brochu M, Dionne IJ (2019) The way fat-free mass is reported may change the conclusions regarding its protective effect on metabolic health. Clin Endocrinol 91:903–904

    Google Scholar 

  37. Lee MJ, Kim EH, Bae SJ, Choe J, Jung CH, Lee WJ, Kim HK (2019) Protective role of skeletal muscle mass against progression from metabolically healthy to unhealthy phenotype. Clin Endocrinol 90:102–113

    Google Scholar 

  38. Katzel LI, Bleecker ER, Colman EG, Rogus EM, Sorkin JD, Goldberg AP (1995) Effects of weight loss vs aerobic exercise training on risk factors for coronary disease in healthy, obese, middle-aged and older men: a randomized controlled trial. JAMA 274:1915–1921

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  39. Woolf K, Reese CE, Mason MP, Beaird LC, Tudor-Locke C, Vaughan LA (2008) Physical activity is associated with risk factors for chronic disease across adult women's life cycle. J Am Diet Assoc 108:948–959

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  40. Lori Mosca M, Rubenfire M, Tarshis T, Thomas Pearson M (1997) Clinical predictors of oxidized low-density lipoprotein in patients with coronary artery disease. Am J Cardiol 80:825–830

    Google Scholar 

  41. Goins JM (2014) Physiological and performance effects of CrossFit. University of Alabama Libraries

  42. Patel P (2012) The influence of a crossfit exercise intervention on glucose control in overweight and obese adults. Kansas State University, Manhattan

    Google Scholar 

  43. Kilpatrick MW, Jung ME, Little JP (2014) High-intensity interval training: a review of physiological and psychological responses. ACSM's Health Fit J 18:11–16

    Google Scholar 

  44. Löllgen H, Böckenhoff A, Knapp G (2009) Physical activity and all-cause mortality: an updated meta-analysis with different intensity categories. Int J Sports Med 30:213–224

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  45. Schjerve IE et al (2008) Both aerobic endurance and strength training programmes improve cardiovascular health in obese adults. Clin Sci 115:283–293

    Google Scholar 

  46. Katzmarzyk PT, Church TS, Blair SN (2004) Cardiorespiratory fitness attenuates the effects of the metabolic syndrome on all-cause and cardiovascular disease mortality in men. Arch Intern Med 164:1092–1097

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  47. Su L, Fu J, Sun S, Zhao G, Cheng W, Dou C, Quan M (2019) Effects of HIIT and MICT on cardiovascular risk factors in adults with overweight and/or obesity: a meta-analysis. PLoS ONE 14:e0210644

    CAS  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  48. Kodama S et al (2009) Cardiorespiratory fitness as a quantitative predictor of all-cause mortality and cardiovascular events in healthy men and women: a meta-analysis. JAMA 301:2024–2035

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  49. Foster C et al (2015) The effects of high intensity interval training vs steady state training on aerobic and anaerobic capacity. J Sports Sci Med 14:747

    PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  50. Nybo L et al (2010) High-intensity training versus traditional exercise interventions for promoting health. Med Sci Sports Exerc 42:1951–1958

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  51. Cornelissen VA, Smart NA (2013) Exercise training for blood pressure: a systematic review and meta-analysis. J Am Heart Assoc 2:e004473

    PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  52. Harris KA, Holly RG (1987) Physiological response to circuit weight training in borderline hypertensive subjects. Med Sci Sports Exerc 19:246–252

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  53. Yang SJ et al (2011) Effects of a three-month combined exercise programme on fibroblast growth factor 21 and fetuin—a levels and arterial stiffness in obese women. Clin Endocrinol 75:464–469

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  54. Patil HR, O’Keefe JH, Lavie CJ, Magalski A, Vogel RA, McCullough PA (2012) Cardiovascular damage resulting from chronic excessive endurance exercise. Mo Med 109:312

    PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  55. Prabhakaran B, Dowling EA, Branch JD, Swain DP, Leutholtz BC (1999) Effect of 14 weeks of resistance training on lipid profile and body fat percentage in premenopausal women. Br J Sports Med 33:190–195

    CAS  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  56. Shaw I, Shaw BS, Krasilshchlkov O (2009) Comparison of aerobic and combined aerobic and resistance training on low-density lipoprotein cholesterol concentrations in men. Cardiovasc J Africa 20:290

    Google Scholar 

  57. Aviram M, Fuhrman B (1998) LDL oxidation by arterial wall macrophages depends on the oxidative status in the lipoprotein and in the cells: role of prooxidants vs antioxidants. Molecular and cellular effects of nutrition on disease processes. Springer, Berlin, pp 149–159

    Google Scholar 

  58. Sanchez-Quesada J, Homs-Serradesanferm R, Serrat-Serrat J, Serra-Grima J, Gonzalez-Sastre F, Ordonez-Llanos J (1995) Increase of LDL susceptibility to oxidation occurring after intense, long duration aerobic exercise. Atherosclerosis 118:297–305

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  59. Wagganer JD, Robison CE, Ackerman TA, Davis PG (2015) Effects of exercise accumulation on plasma lipids and lipoproteins. Appl Physiol Nutr Metabol 40:441–447

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  60. Adedeji O (2000) Diet, alcohol consumption, smoking and exercise as determinants of blood lipid levels of Nigerians West African. J Med 19:283–285

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  61. Durstine JL, Grandjean PW, Davis PG, Ferguson MA, Alderson NL, DuBose KD (2001) Blood lipid and lipoprotein adaptations to exercise. Sports Med 31:1033–1062

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  62. Trejo-Gutierrez JF, Fletcher G (2007) Impact of exercise on blood lipids and lipoproteins. J Clin Lipidol 1:175–181

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

Download references

Funding

No sources of funding were used for this study.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Biological Sciences in Sport, Faculty of Sport Sciences and Health, Shahid Beheshti University, Tehran, Iran

    Reza Dehghanzadeh Suraki, Mahdi Mohsenzade & Sajad Ahmadizad

  2. Graduation Program in Physical Education, Catholic University of Brasília, Brasília, Brazil

    Ramires Alsamir Tibana

Authors
  1. Reza Dehghanzadeh Suraki
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Mahdi Mohsenzade
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Ramires Alsamir Tibana
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. Sajad Ahmadizad
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Contributions

All authors contributed to the study conception and design. Material preparation, data collection and analysis were performed by RD, MM, SA and RT. The first draft of the manuscript was written by RD and all authors commented on previous versions of the manuscript. All authors read and approved the final manuscript.

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Reza Dehghanzadeh Suraki.

Ethics declarations

Conflict of interest

The authors declare that there is no conflict of interest.

Ethical approval

All procedures performed in this study involving human participants were in accordance with the ethical standards of the institutional and/or national research committee (IR.SBU.REC.1398.019) and with the 1964 Helsinki declaration and its later amendments or comparable ethical standards.

Informed consent

Informed consent was obtained from all individual participants included in the study.

Additional information

Publisher's Note

Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Dehghanzadeh Suraki, R., Mohsenzade, M., Tibana, R.A. et al. Effects of CrossFit training on lipid profiles, body composition and physical fitness in overweight men. Sport Sci Health 17, 855–862 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11332-020-00704-9

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11332-020-00704-9

Keywords

Search

Navigation