The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of 24 weeks of resistance training (RT) on the strength and muscle hypertrophy in patients with HIV-seropositive. Participated in the study 45 subjects undergoing highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART). They were divided into two groups: control (n=22) and RT (n=23). The RT group realized three sessions, with 10 repetitions at 80% of 1MR. The MR tests were performed pre and post 24 weeks according to Kraemer and Fry (1995) and the equations proposed by Frisancho (1984) were adopted to estimate bone-free upper arm muscle area. Compared to baseline, the RT improved the strength of 1MR in the squat exercise at 49% (21.0±4.9 vs. 31.2±5.1; P=0.001), bench press by 13% (34.3±8.1 vs. 39.8±9.4, P=0.04), leg extension in 34.1% (26.3±7.1 vs. 37.1±6.6, P=0.01), triceps in 51% (22.9±4.0 vs. 38.3±4.9, P=0.001), pulley in 31.5% (31.7±3.9 vs. 41.7±4.4, P=0.01), leg curl in 37.2% (18.9±3.4 vs. 27.3±3.2, P=0.01) and biceps in 60% (27.9±6.9 vs. 40.4±4.5, P=0.001); there were no significant differences between baseline and final at control. The Bone-free upper arm muscle area at RT group (52.8±14.5 cm²) was significant increased (P<0.05) comparing to control (39.5±12.4 cm²). Moreover, the RT resulted in significant reduction (P<0.05) in fasting blood glucose (96.5±18.3 vs. 90.5±12.6, P<0.05), systolic blood pressure (126.3±14.3 mmHg vs. 120.0±10.0 mmHg) and waist circumference (83.0±12.5 cm vs. 80.6±10.2 cm). We conclude that six months of RT resulted in improvement in strength and hypertrophy; in addition, this training contributed to regulate the metabolic variables from these patients. Since the HAART is inevitable to HIV-seropositive, It's recommended that physical exercise be realized to minimize the side effects from this therapy.
High Activity Anti-Retroviral Therapy; HIV-lipodystrophy Syndrome; Exercise Therapy; Anthropometry
