| Summary: | Background: Obesity is a leading cause of mortality and morbidity. Regular exercise has been proven as one of the best treatments to combat obesity and health problems related to obesity. Scientific evidence examining the benefits of cross-training on obese women is still not well established. The study aims to examine the effects of cross-training on physical fitness and mental health in obese collegiate females. Methods: A total of 39 sedentary healthy obese participants were randomized into the cross (n = 13), aerobic (n = 13), and control (n = 13) groups. Cross and aerobic groups trained 3 times weekly for 8 weeks, approximately 60 min per session, with the intensity of 50–70% of HRR and or 50–70% of 1 RM. Body fat mass (BFM), upper body strength (UBS), lower body strength (LBS), cardiorespiratory fitness (CRF), and mental health (MH) were measured at baseline (week-0) and post-exercise intervention (week-9). Result: Both trained groups demonstrated significant improvement (p < .05) in all parameters except for CRF following 8 weeks of interventions. Moreover, the cross-training group produced a significantly superior change in the improvement of UBS (p < .05) compared to the aerobic-training group, and MH (p < .05) was significantly greater improved in the aerobic-training group compared to the cross-training. Conclusion: All exercise modalities positively improved the overall health of obese collegiate females. However, cross-training was demonstrated as a promising intervention in the improvement of UBS. © The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Singapore Pte Ltd. 2024.
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