Objective: The objective of the study was to determine whether the effects of bicycle exercise program applied without energy-restricted diet on body composition and aerobic capacity show any difference in men and women.

Materials and Methods: A total of 35 volunteers (10+9 men; 8+8 women, for the training and control groups, respectively) were enrolled in this study. The subjects had not participated in any regular exercise programs within the previous year, but all of them were moderately active. Also, the dietary restrictions and/or controls were not recommended for all subjects during the study period. The individuals in the training group performed cycling exercise 60 min/day, 4 days/week for 8 weeks at an intensity of 50-70% of target heart rate. The subjects in the control group did not participate in any kind of regular or organized sport activity. Body composition parameters and maximum oxygen consumption (VO2max) were measured pre- and post-training.

Results: The training program significantly increased VO2max values in both men (F=22.99) and women (F=37.93) (p<0.05). While the changes in body weight (F=22.84), body mass index (F=19.99), fat mass (F=5.57), and fat-free mass (F=11.78) showed significant differences between training and control male groups (p<0.05), those parameters were similar in women (p>0.05). The body fat mass increased in both training men and women, but this increase was statistically significant in men (p<0,05).

Conclusion: Regular aerobic exercise without energy-restricted diet significantly increased VO2max values in both men and women. In spite of this increase, it can be said that training program alone may be inadequate for both genders to make positive changes in body composition.