Introduction. Cardiorespiratory fitness (CRF) associates inversely and fatness positively with inflammatory factors. In contrast, the role of muscular fitness in low-grade inflammation is less studied. We tested the hypothesis that muscular fitness is associated with IL-6 & TNF-a concentrations. Methods. 689 men (25.5±5.0 yrs.) participated. Muscular endurance (MEI) consisted of push-ups, sit-ups and repeated squats (reps./min) and maximal strength (MSI) of leg extension and bench press (N). CRF was determined by cycle ergometer test until exhaustion (estimated VO2max) and waist circumference (WC) was measured. Participants were divided to low (lowest 20 %), moderate (20–60 %) and high (60–100 %) groups within each fitness type. IL-6 and TNF-a were analyzed from blood samples after an overnight fast. Analysis of covariance was used for group comparisons. Results. In normal WC (<94 cm), higher concentration of IL-6 was found in low CRF (1.27±1.53 pg/ml) compared to high (0.84±0.81 pg/ml), (p<0.05), and in low MEI (1.31±1.77 pg/ml) compared to moderate (1.03±1.24 pg/ml) and high (0.80±0.96 pg/ml) (p<0.005) controlled for age, smoking and MSI. No differences in IL-6 between MSI fitness groups were found controlled for age, smoking and CRF. In increased WC (>94 cm), higher concentration of IL-6 was found in low CRF (1.85±1.46 pg/ml) compared to high (0.97±0.69 pg/ml) (p<0.05) controlled for age, smoking and MSI. No differences in IL-6 were found for MEI or MSI fitness groups after adjustments. No differences were found for TNF-a between any fitness groups in neither of WC groups after adjustments. Discussion. CRF and MEI were beneficially related to IL-6 independent of MSI. This may indicate a positive role of especially aerobic fitness in preventing low-grade systemic inflammation.