Abstract
Exercise training and reduction of anxiety in a young population. The effects of regular physical exercise on four measures of self-reported anxiety were examined. Female and male undergraduates were randomly assigned to a physical training (3-one hour sessions for 12 weeks) or a waiting list control condition. The two groups were comparable in objective measures of physical capacity and skills, cardio-respiratory fitness and biochemical parameters at the beginning of the study. There was a reduction in three of the four anxiety measures (trait anxiety, psychosomatic symptoms and tension) in the training group, in comparison with the control group. No effects were observed on test anxiety.