Running head: STATS FINAL PROJECT

STATS FINAL PROJECT

Emily Englehardt
Lipscomb University
11/29/2014

STATS FINAL PROJECT

INTRO
Aerobic training has long had a bad stigma attached when it comes to
the male population. This has become a very debatable topic, as research
has emerged suggesting that aerobic training actually works against strength
training in terms of building lean mass. In this research, I will be investigating
whether males who strictly weight train have more lean mass than those
who strength train in addition to aerobically training (also known as
concurrent training). As an employee at the Y, I have observed many
different training regiments and have been interested in the difference in
body composition in individuals who only strength train vs. those who also
aerobically train. This curiosity formed the basis of the research question for
this project.
Research question: Is there a difference in body composition between men
who exclusively strength train versus those who concurrently train?
Null hypothesis: Average body fat percentageStrength average body fat
percentagecardio=0
Alternative hypothesis: Average body fat percentageStrength average body fat
percentagecardio0
LITERATURE REVIEW
Physical activity has long been recognized as an integral part of life in order
to increase health status. However, two forms of exercise have since come to
head raising a debate about if one is better than the other, or if they can

work concurrently to increase health effects. Research has taken off

examining the effect of cardio training versus that of resistance training.

STATS FINAL PROJECT

3
A study published in the Journal of Applied Physiology in 2012
examined the effects of aerobic and/or resistance training on body mass and
fat mass in overweight or obese adults. The study found the largest change
in fat mass occurred in the group that participated in both aerobic and
resistance exercises. The group that participated solely in resistance training
saw the smallest decrease in fat mass. An article published in the
Cardiovascular Journal of Africa in 2009 examined the effect that concurrent
training had on the aerobic capacity of sedentary males. Male participants
were divided into 4 groups; an aerobic group, a resistance group, a
concurrent group, and a control group. After 16 weeks, the aerobic,
resistance, and concurrent groups all saw a significant decrease in body fat
percentage. The control group did not experience a decrease in body fat
percentage. In addition to lowering body fat, an additional article published
in the Cardiovascular Journal of Africa found that concurrent training has
cardio protective effect and can help decrease heart disease risk.
In conclusion, many researchers have found concurrent training to
have additional benefits than one type of training alone. Among other things

it may help protect against heart disease, decrease body fat percentage, and
decrease body mass.
METHODS
Twenty men between the ages of 20 and 30 were selected to
participate in a body fat analysis. Ten of the men stated that the exclusively
strength train and the other ten men stated that they participated in cardio
training in addition to strength training. Body fat was then measured using
bioimpedence provided by the Green Hills YMCA. We then preformed an
independent t- test to compare the mean body fats of the strength group
STATS FINAL PROJECT

against the cardio training group. The independent variable will be type of
training and the dependent variable will be body composition.
DATA ANALYSIS
This will be an independent t-test because we are using two separate
groups of individuals who are following two types of training. This means that
our null hypothesis will be that the two groups have equal mean body
compositions and the alternative hypothesis will be that the groups have a
difference in mean body composition. We care about both directions so it will
be a two-tailed test rather than a one tailed.
DISCUSSION
Following our independent t-test we failed to reject the null hypothesis
as our p-value was greater than 0.05. Body fat percentage was not lower for
participants in the strength-training group than the cardio group. (p>0.05)

Therefore, we can conclude that men who exclusively strength train do not
have significantly different body fat percentages than those who participate
in concurrent strength and cardio training.
Some limitations to the study include extraneous variables that were
not being controlled for. The only qualification for participation was age
between 20 and 30 years old. The fact that this is the only variable we
controlled for in addition to the independent variable means that many other
factors could have affected our outcome. We also had a relatively small
sample size, as time was a limited resource. Most research on this subject
could be preformed with individuals who did not already have their own
training habits. The fact that our subjects were all using individual training
methods may also have affected our results.
STATS FINAL PROJECT
DATA
Subject
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16

Trainin
g
C
C
S
C
S
C
S
C
S
S
C
S
C
C
S
C

Body
Composition(%)
17
9.1
10.7
24.1
27.3
10.5
15.4
25.4
16.4
21
14.6
9.8
33.1
12.7
25.4
20.8

17
18
19
20

S
S
S
C

8.3
21.8
22.7
15.1

Resources
Shaw BS. (2009). Compatibility of concurrent aerobic and resistance
training on maximal aerobic exercise in sedentary males. Cardiovasc J Afr.
20(2): 104-106. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3721256/
Shaw I, Shaw BS, Brown GA, Cilliers JF. (2010). Concurrent resistance
aerobic training as protection against heart disease. Cardiovasc J Afr.
21(4). http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3721864/pdf/cvja-21196.pdf
Willis LH, Slentz CA, Bateman LA, Shields AT, Piner LW, Bales CW, Houmard
JA, et al. (2012) Effects of aerobic and/or resistance training on body mass

and fat mass in overweight or obese adults. J Appl Physiol. 113(12): 18311837. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3544497/