The effect of a 10-week aerobic exercise program on cardiorespiratory endurance and resting heart rate in university students

Abstract

Background and Study Aim. Physical inactivity during young adulthood is associated with reduced cardiorespiratory fitness and elevated resting heart rate. Both are predictors of long-term cardiovascular risk. The present study aimed to examine the effects of a 10-week structured aerobic exercise program on cardiorespiratory endurance and resting heart rate in sedentary university students. Materials and Methods. This controlled experimental study employed a pretest–posttest design with an exercise group (n = 15) and a control group (n = 10). Participants were sedentary individuals aged 18–25 years. The exercise group completed supervised aerobic training three days per week for 10 weeks at 50–75% of maximum heart rate. The control group maintained usual daily activities. Cardiorespiratory endurance was assessed using the Cooper 12-minute run test. Resting heart rate was measured under standardized seated conditions. Data were analyzed using IBM SPSS Statistics (Version XX). Normality was assessed via the Shapiro–Wilk test. Between- and within-group comparisons were performed using independent and paired samples t-tests (or non-parametric equivalents where appropriate). Effect sizes (Cohen’s d) were calculated based on pooled standard deviations of change scores. Results. The exercise group demonstrated significant improvements in cardiorespiratory endurance (p = .01; d = 0.98) and significant reductions in resting heart rate (p = .007; d = 1.21). No significant changes were observed in the control group. Conclusions. A 10-week aerobic exercise program significantly improves cardiorespiratory endurance and lowers resting heart rate in sedentary young adults. Given the modest sample size, the findings should be interpreted as moderate-to-large effect estimates that require confirmation in larger trials.