Abstract
<p>Purpose. Epidemiological data have established that lack of physical activity increases risk factors for chronic diseases. Data also suggests that physical activity participation is lowest in women minorities particularly Latina women and that the nature of the exercise and attitudes toward the importance of exercise may influence exercise adherence. The purpose of this study was to determine the effect of hypertrophy training (HT) or power training (PT) used concomitantly with evaluative conditioning (EC), or neutral conditioning (NC) as a control, on exercise adherence as well as changes in body composition, neuromuscular performance, functional capacity, and psychosocial variables in Latina women. The EC is a behavioral method using paired stimuli to develop and strengthen new associations in memory. Methods. 142 Latina women (mean ± SD, age 36.8±15.9 yrs.) were randomly assigned to standard HT or high-speed circuit PT and then further stratified to receive EC or NC. Availability to training sessions was unlimited and training volumes were equilibrated between HT and PT. Results. For HT, EC produced significantly greater exercise time across the training period than NC, while PT coupled with EC or NC produced significantly higher adherence levels than HT for the NC condition. All body composition variables, except lean body mass (LBM) improved regardless of training or conditioning status; while LBM declined for NC (p < 0.05). For all exercises with the exception of the leg extension, there were significant increases in strength due to training (p < 0.05); however, no increase in leg press power was detected. Training also positively impacted all functional variables except usual gait speed (p < 0.05). Both self-esteem and body esteem improved with training (p < 0.05) and for EC, exercise self-efficacy was significantly increased from pretest to post-test. Conclusion. EC can positively impact exercise adherence and exercise self-efficacy in Latina women; while body composition, neuromuscular performance, and functional capacity can be increased using HT and PT independent of psychological conditioning.</p>