Do acute feelings of pleasure/displeasure during resistance training represent session affect in obese women?

The purpose of the present study was to compare acute feelings of pleasure/displeasure (FPD) during a resistance training session at self-selected intensity to the overall affective responses (i.e., Session-Affect). Fourteen obese women (age: 39.2 ± 11.1 yrs; height: 160.4 ± 5.9 cm; BM: 87.4 ± 5.8 kg; BMI: 33.6 ± 1.2 kg·m -2 ) performed a resistance training session at a self-selected intensity consisting of 3 sets x 10 reps of 5 exercises: bench press, leg extension, front lat pulldown, barbell curl, and leg curl. Subjects reported FPD at the completion of each set. Also, at 30 min after the end of the training session, subjects were asked to rate Session-Affect. ANOVA was used to compare FPD between exercises and a paired t test was used to compare mean values between FPD and Session-Affect. The results indicate that the barbell curl was the least pleasant exercise compared to the bench press, leg extension, and front lat pulldown. Feelings of pleasure were also lower for the leg curl in comparison to the leg extension exercise. Mean values between acute FPD and Session-Affect were similar. We conclude that different resistance training exercises performed at a self-selected intensity elicit varied pleasant feelings. In addition, Session-Affect values are capable of reflecting mean values of FPD assessed during the training session.