A comparison of two group-based exercise programs (team-sport vs. circuit training) on quality of life in adult men.

INTERVENTION: Participants will be randomised to one of two exercise groups, a team‐sport program (TS) or a group‐circuit exercise program (CT). TS is the 'intervention' for this investigation. The exercise session will last 60‐minutes and be undertaken twice weekly for 12 weeks. There will be at least 48 hours of recovery between each training session and will occur at the same time of day. Each session will comprise of a 45‐minute conditioning phase, which will begin/end with a 5‐10‐minute warm‐up/cool‐down. The warm‐up/cool‐down will consist of light aerobic exercises and dynamic movements/stretches. All sessions will be supervised by a qualified exercise professional. The TS sessions will be focused on developing Australian Football (AF) skills and gameplay. AF was selected as the team‐sport focus as it has the potential to attract sedentary Australian males due to its popularity, particularly among middle‐aged males, and as it has been found to have the strongest loyalty of all sports within Australia. Given the participant s insufficiently active nature, the first two weeks of the 12‐week program will progressively re‐introduce exercise and movement and develop participants' capabilities to jog, jump, land, stop, and change direction safely. This is intended to reduce the likelihood of injury. Across week 3 to 12 of the program the first weekly session will be a ‘training session’ that progressively build in physicality and difficulty to teach participants AF skills. The second weekly session will have participants playing a small‐sided version of AF, AFL9s. AFL9s features modified rules more appropriate for the physical capacity and skill level of the sedentary individuals (e.g. non‐contact, nine‐a‐side and feature two 20‐minute halves). 18 participants will form a CONDITION: Musculoskeletal ‐ Normal musculoskeletal and cartilage development and function Physical Inactivity; ; Physical Inactivity Physical Medicine / Rehabilitation ‐ Other physical medicine / rehabilitation Public Health ‐ Health promotion/education PRIMARY OUTCOME: Health‐Related Quality of Life; Participants Health‐related Quality of Life (HRQoL) will be assessed using the Short Form 36 Health Survey. [Baseline (pre‐program), 12 weeks post‐intervention commencement (post‐program, primary endpoint), 3 months post‐intervention completion (follow‐up).; ] SECONDARY OUTCOME: Blood Pressure ; Blood pressure will be assessed on the left arm following a 5 to 10‐minute rest in a seated upright position.[Baseline (pre‐program), 12 weeks post‐intervention commencement (post‐program)] Body Mass Index (BMI) ; Participants BMI will be determined based on weight (kg) divided by height (m) squared. Weight will be measured with minimal clothing using an electronic scale. Height will be measured using a stadiometer to the nearest 0.1cm.[Baseline (pre‐program), 12 weeks post‐intervention commencement (post‐program)] Cardiorespiratory Fitness ; Motivation to undertake exercise as assessed by the Behavioural Regulation in Exercise Scale Version 3.[Baseline (pre‐program), 12 weeks post‐intervention commencement (post‐program), 3 months post‐intervention completion (follow‐up). ; ] Glucose ; ] Low‐Density Lipoprotein ; ] Psychological Needs ; ] Rating of Perceived Exertion ; ] Sleep INCLUSION CRITERIA: In order to be eligible to participate in the study participants must meet the following criteria: ‐ Male ‐ 35 ‐ 54 years of age ‐ On average, engaging in less than 150 minutes of moderate‐intensity exercise or less than 75 minutes of vigorous‐intensity exercise per week over the 6 months leading up to the study ‐ Assessed as safe to engage in the exercise program based on the Exercise and Sports Science Australia Adult Pre‐exercise Screening System ; To assess cardiorespiratory fitness, the Yo‐Yo Intermittent Endurance (YYIE1) test will be undertaken among participants allocated exercise groups during the first session of week 1 and during a single testing session in week 13 of the study. The test will require participants to complete 2 x 20m shuttle runs, incrementally increasing in speed, interspersed with a 5s recovery period (2 x 2.5m). The test will be performed outdoors on a grass oval, succeeding a 10‐minute warm‐up. The test will be terminated once the participant fails to complete a shuttle in the allocated time or voluntarily discontinues the test due to exhaustion. Performance will be defined as the total distance covered during the test. [Baseline (pre‐program), 12‐weeks post‐intervention commencement (post‐program)] Exercise Motivation ; A small sample of blood (0.04mL) will be collected via fingerstick of the non‐dominant hand after a 12‐hour overnight fast. This sample will be analysed using an Alere Cholestech LDX system to measure the participant's blood glucose level.[Baseline (pre‐program), 12 weeks post‐intervention commencement (post‐program)] Heart Rate ; Training session intensity will be determined objectively through heart rate. Average heart rate, peak heart rate, and time spent in specific heart rate zones will be assessed (based on age‐predicted maximum heart rate (208‐0.7*age). Heart rates will be obtained using Polar M400 heart rate monitors during their two weekly training sessions in week 3 and 11 of the program. [Baseline (pre‐program), 12 weeks post‐intervention commencement (post‐program)] High‐Density Lipoprotein (HDL) ; A small sample of blood (0.04mL) will be collected via fingerstick of the non‐dominant hand after a 12‐hour overnight fast. This sample will be analysed using an Alere Cholestech LDX system to measure the participant's high‐density lipoprotein level.[Baseline (pre‐program), 12 weeks post‐intervention commencement (post‐program)] Light Physical Activity ; Time spent undertaking Light Physical Activity will be assessed using Axivity AX3 accelerometers. Participants will wear the wrist‐worn device for 7‐consecutive days. [Baseline (pre‐program), 12 weeks post‐intervention commencement (post‐program), 3 months post‐intervention completion (follow‐up). ; A small sample of blood (0.04mL) will be collected via fingerstick of the non‐dominant hand after a 12‐hour overnight fast. This sample will be analysed using an Alere Cholestech LDX system to estimate the participant’s low‐density lipoprotein level. The Cholestech LDX uses the Friedewald formula to estimate LDL from direct measurements of TC, TG and HDL cholesterol (LDL = TC‐HDL‐VLDL; where VLDL =TG/2.2).[Baseline (pre‐program), 12 weeks post‐intervention commencement (post‐program)] Metabolic Syndrome Risk ; A continuous Metabolic Syndrome (MetS) Risk Score will be determined for each participant. This will be calculated using the following measures: resting systolic blood pressure, triglyceride, high‐density lipoprotein, glucose, and waist circumference.[Baseline (pre‐program), 12 weeks post‐intervention commencement (post‐program)] Moderate/Vigorous Physical Activity (MVPA) ; Time spent undertaking MVPA will be assessed using Axivity AX3 accelerometers. Participants will wear the wrist‐worn device for 7‐consecutive days.[Baseline (pre‐program), 12 weeks post‐intervention commencement (post‐program), 3 months post‐intervention completion (follow‐up). ; The satisfaction of exercise‐related Psychological Needs assessed using the Psychological Need Satisfaction in Exercise scale. The scale will assess the extent to which the exercise programs satisfy the participant's feelings of autonomy, competency, and relatedness.[Baseline (pre‐program), 12 weeks post‐intervention commencement (post‐program), 3 months post‐intervention completion (follow‐up). ; Training session intensity will be determined subjectively through sessional rating of perceived exertion (sRPE). sRPE will be obtained using the Category‐Ratio scale (CR‐10) at the completion of the exercise sessions in weeks 3 and 11.[Baseline (pre‐program), 12 weeks post‐intervention commencement (post‐program)] Sedentary time ; Sedentary time will be assessed using Axivity AX3 accelerometers. Participants will wear the wrist‐worn device for 7‐consecutive days. During this period they will complete a brief diary each day in which they record the time they went to sleep and woke each day, whether they napped, and for how long and whether the device was removed (including reason and duration). Data obtained within the diary can be used to delineate sedentary time from sleep or non‐wear time.[Baseline (pre‐program), 12 weeks post‐intervention commencement (post‐program), 3 months post‐intervention completion (follow‐up). ; The duration of sleep will be assessed using Axivity AX3 accelerometers. Participants will wear the wrist‐worn device for 7‐consecutive days. During this period they will complete a brief diary each day in which they record the time they went to sleep and woke each day, whether they napped, and for how long and whether the device was removed (including reason and duration). Data obtained within the diary can be used to delineate sleep from sedentary time and non‐wear time.[Baseline (pre‐program), 12 weeks post‐intervention commencement (post‐program), 3 months post‐intervention completion (follow‐up).] Total Cholesterol (TC) ; A small sample of blood (0.04mL) will be collected via fingerstick of the non‐dominant hand after a 12‐hour overnight fast. This sample will be analysed using an Alere Cholestech LDX system to measure the participant's total cholesterol.[Baseline (pre‐program), 12 weeks post‐intervention commencement (post‐program)] Triglyceride (TG) ; A small sample of blood (0.04mL) will be collected via fingerstick of the non‐dominant hand after a 12‐hour overnight fast. This sample will be analysed using an Alere Cholestech LDX system to measure the participant's triglyceride level.[Baseline (pre‐program), 12 weeks post‐intervention commencement (post‐program)] Waist Circumference ; Waist circumference will be measured using a tape measure placed at the obvious narrowing of the waist. If no obvious narrowing is present, then the measure will be taken at the half‐way point between the iliac crest and the inferior border of the 10th costal. The measurement will be read at the end of a normal expiration.[Baseline (pre‐program), 12 weeks post‐intervention commencement (post‐program)]