The effect of 12 weeks of resistance training and electrical muscle stimulation (EMS) on serum levels of insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF-1), insulin, glucose, insulin resistance and body composition in overweight Men

Mahshid, Fathi; Reisi, Jalil; Esfarjani, Fahimeh

doi:10.22089/spj.2025.17669.2351

The effect of 12 weeks of resistance training and electrical muscle stimulation (EMS) on serum levels of insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF-1), insulin, glucose, insulin resistance and body composition in overweight Men

Document Type : Research Paper

Authors

Fathi Mahshid ¹

Jalil Reisi ²

Fahimeh Esfarjani ²

¹ Department of Exercise Physiology, Faculty of Sports Sciences, University of Isfahan, Isfahan, Iran

² Faculty of Sports Sciences, University of Isfahan, Isfahan, Iran

10.22089/spj.2025.17669.2351

Abstract

Objectives: This study investigated the effect of 12 weeks of resistance training and electrical muscle stimulation (EMS) on serum levels of insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF-1), insulin, glucose, insulin resistance, and body composition in obese men. Materials and Methods: The sample of the present study consisted of 40 overweight men. The subjects were randomly divided into 3 groups: EMS training, resistance training, and control. The training period was conducted for 12 weeks and 3 sessions per week. The exercises for the resistance training group were performed at an intensity of 50 to 85% of one repetition maximum and for the EMS training group, was performed at a value of 70 to 85%. IGF-1, glucose, insulin and insulin resistance were measured in the pre-test and post-test. A repeated-measures analysis of variance with a significance level of P ≤ 0.05 was used. Findings: The results showed that IGF-1 levels in the post-test significantly increased compared to the pre-test in both resistance training and EMS groups (P ≤ 0.05). This increase was greater in the EMS training group. Insulin and glucose levels and the insulin resistance index also decreased significantly in the post-test compared to the pre-test in both training groups compared to the control (P ≤ 0.05). While there was no significant difference between the training groups (P ≥ 0.05). Conclusion: According to the results, both types of resistance training and EMS increased IGF-1 levels, decreased levels of Glucose, insulin, and insulin resistance index and improved body composition in obese men.

Keywords

EMS training

resistance training

insulin-like growth factor 1

glucose

insulin resistance

Main Subjects