PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of 24 weeks of functional impact training (FIT) that consisted of resistance and high impact exercises in comparison to yin yoga on body composition, bone mineral density (BMD), blood biomarkers for bone metabolism, and strength in breast cancer survivors (BCS). METHODS: Forty-four BCS (60.3 +/- 8.3 years) were randomly assigned to the FIT or yin yoga group. Body composition and BMD were measured via dual energy x-ray absorptiometry. Blood biomarkers for bone metabolism were analyzed via enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays. Upper and lower body strength were assessed using a one-repetition maximum chest press and isokinetic knee extension/flexion using the Biodex System 3, respectively. Participants completed 45-minute FIT or yin yoga sessions twice weekly for 24 weeks. Changes in dependent variables over time were analyzed using repeated measures analysis of variance. Significance was accepted at p <= 0.05. RESULTS: There were no group by time effects for body composition, BMD or blood biomarkers. Main effects were observed for left femoral neck (0.883 +/- 0.138 g/cm to 0.870 +/- 0.131 g/cm) and left forearm (0.465 +/- 0.078 g/cm to 0.457 +/- 0.069 g/cm) BMD. The FIT group improved upper body strength (73.2 +/- 18.1 kg to 83.2 +/- 22.3 kg) while the yin yoga group did not (59.8 +/- 14.8 kg to 59.3 +/- 15.6 kg). Main time effects were observed for peak isokinetic knee extension and flexion at all speeds with an average improvement of 13.2% and 16.2%, respectively. CONCLUSION: Both FIT and yin yoga may be beneficial exercise modes for improving lower body strength, although only FIT improved upper body strength. Additional research is needed to examine the effectiveness of FIT programs of longer duration and/or higher intensity on body composition and BMD in BCS.

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