Effects of Acute Coordinative vs. Endurance Exercise on Cortisol Concentration in Healthy Women and Men

Abstract

Background: Physical exercise can cause neuroendocrine activation, which increases salivary cortisol concentrations. Until now there have been no studies comparing the acute effects of endurance and coordinative exercise on cortisol. Objective: To examine the effects of an acute bout of endurance vs. coordinative exercise with the same intensity and duration with an intraindividual comparison. Methods: 61 female and male students between 18 and 30 years completed an acute coordinative exercise (Co) and one week later an endurance exercise (En) of the same exercise intensity, which was self-set on the first day, with a heart rate of between 64–76% of maximum over a period of 15 min. To measure changes in the hypothalamic–pituitary–adrenal axis activity, saliva samples were collected before (t0 and after exercise (t1: 5 min, t2: 30 min). Results: Baseline values of cortisol (t0) did not differ significantly (t(55) =.233, p =.816). Analysis of variance revealed main effects for type of exercise (F (1) = 5.587, p =.022, η2 =.092) and measurement point (F (2) = 22.472, p