In brief: Serum high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) levels and percent HDL-C were significantly higher in nine female endurance runners than in equal groups of female weight trainers and sedentary female controls. Weight trainers and controls showed no significant differences in HDL-C and percent HDL-C. Subjects who had higher HDL-C levels were more likely to be non-smokers who consumed little alcohol and did not use oral contraceptives. No significant dose-response relationships were found for either runners or weight trainers when daily training duration, weekly training frequency, and weekly mileage were correlated with HDL-C. It was concluded that HDL-C levels in females are associated with specific training methods.