THE EFFECTS OF RESISTANCE TRAINING VOLUME AND VARIETY ON MOOD STATE

The Profile of Mood States (POMS) has recently become a popular and useful psychometric instrument to assess the effects of exercise and physical activity in sport related research. PURPOSE: To examine the effects of resistance training volume and variety on mood state in an untrained population. METHODS: A total of 53 male and female subjects, 30.6 + 0.9 yrs, were randomized into one of three groups, differing in resistance training volume and variety for 24 weeks as follows: (1) One set of eight strength training exercises, (2) Three sets of the same eight exercises, as in group 1 and (3) One set of 24 different exercises incorporating the same exercises as groups 1 and 2, plus an additional 16 exercises. At baseline, 12 and 24 weeks of training, subjects completed the 65-item POMS questionnaire. RESULTS: Using repeated measures ANOVA and controlling for gender and age, there were no significant differences (p > .05) between groups on any of the seven POMS mood scores observed. Despite the lack of significant differences between groups, by the 24th week of the study all groups showed a slight trend towards reductions in the negative, and increases in the positive mood states. CONCLUSIONS: This study indicates that there are no significant differences in mood state(s) between those who trained with one set of eight exercises for a average of 20 minutes, three sets of the same eight exercises for an average of 60 minutes or with one set of 24 exercises for an average of 60 minutes.