DeLorme-Watkins or high-intensity pyramidic training protocol: Which one has more effectiveness on adiponectin and TNF-α?

This study aimed to investigate the effects of two different resistance training protocols on TNF-α and adiponectin in young overweight men. Sixty healthy overweight men (BMI ≥ 25 kg/m², age 20–30 years) were randomly assigned to three groups: Experimental Group 1 (EG1), Experimental Group 2 (EG2), and Control Group (CG). EG1 performed the DeLorme-Watkins protocol, consisting of 3 sets of 10 repetitions at 50%, 75%, and 100% of 10RM, while EG2 performed HIPT, consisting of 3 sets (set 1: 6 repetitions at 70% of 1RM; set 2: 4 repetitions at 80% of 1RM; set 3: 2 repetitions at 90% of 1RM). Training lasted 8 weeks. TNF-α and adiponectin levels were measured pre- and post-intervention. One-way ANOVA with Tukey post hoc tests and paired-samples t-tests were used to analyze inter- and intra-group differences (α≤0.05). TNF-α significantly decreased in EG1 (P = 0.04), while adiponectin levels significantly increased in both EG1 (P = 0.02) and EG2 (P = 0.03) at post-test compared to pre-test. Additionally, TNF-α levels were significantly lower in EG1 than in CG at post-test (P = 0.01). Both resistance training protocols exerted beneficial effects on inflammatory and anti-inflammatory markers, potentially contributing to cardiovascular disease prevention. However, the DeLorme-Watkins protocol resulted in a significantly greater reduction in TNF-α levels compared to HIPT, whereas no significant between-group difference was observed for adiponectin.