Effects of concurrent training on interleukin-6, tumour necrosis factor-alpha and C-reactive protein in middle-aged men

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effects of moderate-to high-intensity resistance and concurrent training on inflammatory biomarkers and functional capacity in sedentary middle-aged healthy men. Participants were selected on a random basis for resistance training (n = 12), concurrent training (n = 11) and a control group (n = 13). They performed three weekly sessions for 16 weeks (resistance training: 10 exercises with 3 x 8-10 repetition maximum; concurrent training: 6 exercises with 3 x 8-10 repetition maximum, followed by 30 minutes of walking or running at 55-85% (V) over dotO(2peak)). Maximal strength was tested in bench press and leg press. The peak oxygen uptake ((V) over dotO(2peak)) was measured by an incremental exercise test. Tumour necrosis factor-alpha, interleukin-6 and C-reactive protein were determined. The upper-and lower-body maximal strength increase for both resistance (+42.52%; +20.9%, respectively) and concurrent training (+28.35%; +21.5%, respectively) groups (P = 0.0001). (V) over dotO(2peak) increased in concurrent training when comparing pre- and post-training (P = 0.0001; +15.6%). No differences were found in tumour necrosis factor-alpha and interleukin-6 for both groups after the exercise. C-reactive protein increased in resistance training (P = 0.004). These findings demonstrated that 16 weeks of moderate-to high-intensity training could improve functional capacity, but did not decrease inflammatory biomarkers in middle-aged men.