REGULAR EXERCISE AND AEROBIC FITNESS IN RELATION TO PSYCHOLOGICAL MAKE-UP AND PHYSIOLOGICAL STRESS REACTIVITY

This study assessed the association of aerobic fitness with psychologi cal make-up and physiological stress-reactivity in a group of untraine d men, as well as the effects of 4 and 8 months of exercise training o n these parameters. Psychological assessment included questionnaires o n personality (Neuroticism, Type A, Hostility), coping styles (Anger I n, Anger Out), negative affect (Depression, Anxiety), and self-esteem. Stress reactivity was measured as the cardiovascular and urinary cate cholamine response to two competitive reaction time tasks and the cold pressor test. No cross sectional relationships were found between aer obic fitness, defined as the maximal oxygen consumption during an exha ustive exercise test, and any of the psychological variables. In addit ion, psychological make-up did not change as a consequence of exercise training. In further contrast to our hypothesis, aerobic fitness was associated with high, rather than low, cardiovascular reactivity. Long itudinal effects of training were limited to a reduction in the overal l levels of heart rate and diastolic blood pressure. This suggests tha t regular exercise does not increase the resistance to stress-related disease by influencing psychological make-up or acute psychophysiologi c reactivity.