Effects of High-Intensity Interval Training on Physical Fitness and Body Composition of Obese College Students

Abstract

Introduction: Maintaining body composition and physical fitness is important for the well-being of college students. Recent data indicate an increase in obesity among young college students and new techniques have been studied to control this situation. Among the current resources is high-intensity interval training. Objective: Explore the effects of high-intensity interval training on physical fitness and body control in obese male college students. Methods: The experimental control involved 100 obese male college students, divided into experimental and control groups. The experimental group participated in a high-intensity interval training protocol while the control group performed general aerobic training. Data before and after the experiment, which lasted 12 weeks, were collected and statistically analyzed. Results: The conditions of male college students in the experimental group were statistically improved, and the fitness index changed expressively. The sitting forward bending increased from 5.91±5.16 to 9.47±5.27, the standing balance index with eyes closed increased from 5.87±5.58 to 10.47±6.08, the long jump index went from 1.96±0.15 to 2.14±0.21, in the supine sitting position it went from 19.97±8.46 to 31.24±9.42, and the running time in 50 meters was reduced from 9.61±1.53 to 8.53±1.25 s. Conclusion: High-intensity interval training positively impacted both physical fitness and body composition in obese college students. Level of evidence II; Therapeutic studies - investigation of treatment outcomes.

The effect of cardio and tabata training methods in reducing body fat and increasing maximum aerobic capacity in obese students

“…Other studies' findings on obese teens revealed a reduction in body fat percentage following moderate-intensity exercise (Buchan et al, 2011). In their study on male obesity among college students, Yuan and Hu (2023) found that a combination of aerobic exercise and high-intensity intermittent strength training can significantly enhance body shape and composition. Cardio exercise, also known as aerobic exercise, is an exercise that requires oxygen to burn energy (Permadi, 2019;Souza et al, 2020).…”