Is trait anxiety associated with improving fitness?

Introduction and objective: Information to explain the inter-individual variation of VO2max-cardiorespiratory fitness after training interventions is of great importance as regards health status. The main purpose of this study was to estimate whether the trait anxiety can influence cardiorespiratory fitness in controlled aerobic exercise training. Methods: Twelve students were divided into a progressive light-aerobic training group (g-PAT, n= 6) and a control group (g-CON, n= 6). VO2max was assessed at baseline and after a 6-week training period. Training consisted of three 30-min sessions a week with the intensity of 50-70% of HR reserve. Results: ANCOVA show a significant group effect in VO2max [F(1,8) = 5.362; P< 0.05], with higher values in g-PAT [36.45 (6.32)] compared to the g-CON [28.97 (6.38)], and a significant effect on baseline VO2max [F(1,8) = 26.518, P< 0.001] and trait anxiety [F(1,8) = 8.229, P= 0.021]. Conclusion: The main findings of this study suggest that VO2max training response is not only determined by a VO2max genetic factor, but is also determined by trait anxiety. This is the first exploratory study to estimate the proportion of the trait anxiety associated with the physiological response to an aerobic exercise. We suggest that the trait anxiety is taken into account as an individual difference which could determine the efficacy of aerobic exercise programs in sedentary people. © 2011 Consell Català de l'Esport. Generalitat de Catalunya.