The Social Distance Impacts from COVID-19 Pandemic on the Development of Two Orders of a Concurrent Training Programme for Morbidly Obese Patients

Abstract

Background: Although there is relevant information regarding the consequences of the coronavirus SARS-CoV-2 (COVID-19), little is known about the impact of the imposed social confinement (at home) on the development of exercise training programmes in populations with morbid obesity. Aim: To describe the effects of the imposed COVID-19 confinement on the cardiometabolic health benefits acquired through a concurrent training programme that started before the pandemic in populations with morbid obesity. Methods: This was an experimental randomized clinical study, in which sedentary morbidly obese women were assigned 1:1 to a high-intensity interval training (HIIT) plus resistance training (RT) group (HIIT + RT; n = 11; BMI 42.1 +/- 6.6) or to the same exercise dose, but in different order group of RT plus HIIT group (RT + HIIT; n = 7; BMI 47.5 +/- 8.4). Both groups undertook two sessions/week. When COVID-19 confinement at home started, a post-test was applied in January 2020 (Post1) and after 20 months (Post2). The main outcomes were waist circumference (WC), systolic (SBP) and diastolic blood pressure (DBP), high-density lipids (HDL-c), triglycerides (Tg), and fasting plasma glucose (FPG). Results: In the HIIT + RT group, the WC showed significant increases from Post1 to Post2 (Delta + 3.1 cm, p = 0.035); in the RT + HIIT group, it decreased from Post1 to Post2 (Delta - 4.8 cm, p = 0.028). In the HIIT + RT group, SBP showed significant increases from Post1 to Post2 (Delta + 6.2 mmHg, p = 0.041); the RT + HIIT group decreased SBP from Pre0 to Post1 (Delta - 7.2 mmHg, p = 0.026) and increased DBP from Pre0 to Post1 (Delta + 8.1 mmHg, p = 0.015). Tg in the HIIT + RT group decreased from Pre0 to Post1 (Delta - 40.1 mg/dL, p = 0.023) but increased from Post1 to Post2 (Delta + 86.3 mg/dL, p < 0.0001). Conclusions: The COVID-19 social confinement worsened metabolic syndrome (MetS) outcomes that had improved from 20 weeks' RT + HIIT during the training period, such as WC, SBP, and Tg from HIIT + RT, when, worryingly, SBP increased to another more serious clinical classification in both groups.