Continuous assistive-passive exercise (CAPE) is a new exercise modality that has become popular with older females. To evaluate the efficacy of CAPE, 43 sedentary, postmenopausal women (PMW) were randomly divided into three groups: CAPE training (N = 15), cycle ergometer training (N = 14), and control (N = 14). The CAPE training consisted of 10 min bouts on six CAPE tables, twice per week. The cycle ergometer group trained twice per week for 30 min per session, at 70-85% of maximal heart rate. The cycle ergometer and CAPE groups trained for 12 wk, while the control group remained sedentary for the duration of the study. Groups were similar with respect to age, height, weight, girths, skinfolds, and aerobic power (VO2max) upon entering the study (P greater than 0.05). The groups were tested pre- and post-training on the sum of seven body girths (sigma 7G), sum of four skinfolds (sigma 4SF), weight, and VO2max. A 3 d dietary recall was recorded pre and post and analyzed for total caloric intake. Following training, changes in caloric intake, sigma 7G, and sigma 4SF were not significantly different among groups. The cycle group lost 1.1 kg (P less than 0.05) and increased VO2max (l.min-1) by 9.2% (P less than 0.05), while the CAPE group significantly decreased VO2max (P = 0.04). Our results indicate that CAPE does not alter sigma 7G or sigma 4SF in sedentary PMW and that two 30 min sessions of cycle training per week at 70-85% of maximal heart rate can result in moderate but significant increases in VO2max in sedentary PMW.