Abstract Background: According to observations on the effect of exercise training on lipid profile, there is little evidence about the effect of short-term circuit resistance training in females because these researches often use aerobic methods in males. Objectives: The current study aimed to examine the effect of a short term course of circuit resistance training on blood glucose and serum lipids in female students. Methods: Twenty female students from the physical education in the luteal phase of their menstrual cycle were randomly selected and divided into two groups of 10 (resistance training and control groups). For seven consecutive days, the experimental group conducted a circuit resistance training including 10 exercises with the intensity of 60% of one maximum repetition and duration of 20 seconds for each exercise in four sets. Each session took 32 - 40 minutes including warm-up and cool-down time. To measure fasting blood glucose, three glyceride (TG), total cholesterol (TC), high density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-c), very low density lipoprotein cholesterol (VLDL-c) and low density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-c), blood samples were taken 24 hours before the first session and after the seventh session in a 12-hour overnight fasting. Results: Analysis of variance for repeated measures revealed that although seven sessions of circuit resistance training with a moderate intensity had no significant effects on plasma HDL-c, VLDL-c, TC, and TG in the female students, a significant reduction was observed in the fasting blood glucose and plasma LDL-c. Conclusions: Resistance training exercises in the present method can be considered as a prophylaxis attempt against related diseases by improving cardiovascular and metabolic health.
