Positive and negative affective response of trained and untrained subjects during and after aerobic exercise

Uni-and two-dimensional affect of 13 trained and 14 untrained males was assessed before, during, and after 30 minutes of treadmill exercise. Subjects completed three continuous 10-minute bouts on a treadmill at perceived light, moderate, and hard intensities during which the Feeling Scale and the Positive Affect Negative Affect Schedule (PANAS) scale were administered. Results indicated that heart rate was similar at all exercise intensities for both trained and untrained subjects. No change in uni-dimensional affect (Feeling Scale) was found between the two groups during or after exercise. In contrast, compared to baseline, trained subjects showed increased positive affect during moderate and hard intensity exercise, whereas untrained showed decreased positive affect after exercise. Also, the untrained compared to the trained showed significantly lower levels of negative affect during and after exercise.