The purpose of this study is to investigate the effect of rhythmic aerobic training on mood status profile and salivary alpha amylase in male and female students. 80 non-athlete students (40 female, ages: 21 ± 2, Weight: 58 ± 8, Height: 163 ± 5 and 40 male, ages: 21 ± 2, weight: 68 ±10, Height: 176 ±5) who were physically in perfect health and had no history of disease or drug consumption, particularly steroids, were selected; based on the temperament grades of the pre-test they were randomly divided into two groups of control (20 girls and 20 boys) and training (20 girls and 20 boys). The training group did rhythmic aerobic exercises for 10 weeks; each session lasted 60 minutes including 10 minutes as warm up exercises with basic aerobic movements, 40 minutes as the main part (which started with the intensity of 140bpm and reached to 160bpm in final sessions), and 10 minutes of non-impact aerobic movements and stretching for cooling down, by which the training session ended. The control group did not participate in any training programs during the study. During 10 weeks, saliva samples were collected 5 times (10 minutes before starting physical activity, of both training and control groups, and ten minutes after cooling down of the training group, in the first, eighth, fifteenth, twenty-second and twenty-eighth sessions), and BRUMS mood questionnaire was answered by them 5 times, before the training. For statistical analysis of data, variance analysis with repeated measures and Bonferroni post-hoc test were used. Results showed that after 10 weeks of training, moods of both boys and girls improved significantly (girls, p = 0.007, F =62.50, df =19, 1; boys, p=0.008, F =62.50, df =19, 1). Also, following 10 weeks of rhythmic aerobic exercise the amount of salivary alpha-amylase depleted (girls, p =0.021, F =65.37, df =19, 1; boys, p =0.019, F =61.89, df =19, 1). Therefore, due to the specific nature of rhythmic aerobic exercise, its inclusion in people’s health program is recommended.
