Affective response to acute resistance exercise: a comparison of machine and free weights

Aim. Affective response is a key determinant of exercise adherence, with the basic assumption that when an activity elicits positive affect, people are more likely to maintain the same activity (Hagberg et al., 2009). This study investigated enjoyment, affective states (affective valence and perceived activation), perceived exertion, and perceived naturalness of movement during two acute resistance training sessions, performed by 30 recreationally strength-trained males using machines or free weights. Method. At the end of each session participants completed the Physical Activity Enjoyment Scale, the Borg Scale for Rating of Perceived Exertion, the Feeling Scale, the Felt Arousal Scale, and a Visual Analogue Scale for the perceived naturalness of movement (Carraro et al., 2014). Results. Results revealed significantly higher scores on all the scales when participants exercised with free weights. Enjoyment was positively related to perceived naturalness of movement during both sessions (machines and free weights). Conclusions. Results supported the claim that different training modalities can provide different affective states in recreational practitioners. Specifically, resistance training with free weights resulted in increased pleasantness and activation. Moreover, enjoyment, perceived exertion and perceived naturalness of movement were significantly higher during free weight training in comparison with machine training. Reference. Carraro, A., Gobbi, E., Ferri, I., Benvenuti, P., & Zanuso, S. (2014). Enjoyment perception during exercise with aerobic machines. Perceptual & Motor Skills, 119(1), 146–155. Hagberg, L. A., Lindahl, B., Nyberg, L., & Hellénius, M. L. (2009). Importance of enjoyment when promoting physical exercise. Scandinavian Journal of Medicine & Science in Sports, 19, 740-747.