Abstract
Sixty individuals including 17 competitive weight lifters (CWL), 12 competitive long-distance runners (LDR), 7 amateur (noncompetitive) weight lifters (AWL), 14 heavy controls (HC), and 10 light controls (LC) were studied at supine rest with echocardiographic determination of the left ventricular mass (LVM) by the Penn convention. Lean body mass (LBM) was estimated by the Wilmore-Behnke method. The absolute LBM (mean ± SE) was increased in the 2 competitive athlete groups compared to controls (LDR: 195 ± 12; CWL: 190 ± 10 vs. LC: 122 ± 10; HC: 151 ± 9 g). The AWL had a mass (174 ± 20 g) intermediate between the LDR-CWL and the HC-LC groups. A significant (P = 0.033) correlation of LVM was found with LBM although the correlation coefficient was low (r = 0.276). Normalizing LVM by LBM revealed a significantly higher mass for LDR compared to all other groups but equalized CWL and HC (LDR: 3.2 ± 0.2; CWL: 2.5 ± 0.1; AWL: 2.5 ± 0.2; HC: 2.3 ± 0.2; LC: 2.0 ± 0.2 g). These data suggest that training for competitive long-distance running (dynamic training) elevates LVM compared to nonathletic controls and CWL. On the other hand, training for weight lifting (static training) increases absolute LVM but only to the extent that LBM is increased.
| Original language | English (US) |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 154-162 |
| Number of pages | 9 |
| Journal | Journal of Applied Physiology Respiratory Environmental and Exercise Physiology |
| Volume | 48 |
| Issue number | 1 |
| State | Published - Jan 1 1980 |
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Physiology
- Endocrinology