Comparison of High-Intensity Interval Training and Moderate-to-Vigorous Continuous Training for Cardiometabolic Health and Exercise Enjoyment in Obese Young Women: A Randomized Controlled Trial

Abstract

ObjectiveThe aim of this study was to compare the effects of 5-week high-intensity interval training (HIIT) and moderate-to-vigorous intensity continuous training (MVCT) on cardiometabolic health outcomes and enjoyment of exercise in obese young women.MethodsA randomized controlled experiment was conducted that involved thirty-one obese females (age range of 18–30) randomly assigned to either HIIT or MVCT five-week training programs. Participants in HIIT condition performed 20 min of repeated 8 s cycling interspersed with 12 s rest intervals, and those in MVCT condition cycled continuously for 40 min at 60–80% of peak oxygen consumption (O2peak), both for four days in a week. Outcomes such as O2peak, body composition estimated by bioimpedance analysis, blood lipids, and serum sexual hormones were measured at pre-and post-training. The scores of Physical Activity Enjoyment Scale (PAES) were collected during the intervention.ResultsAfter training, O2peak increased significantly for both training programs (9.1% in HIIT and 10.3% in MVCT) (p = 0.010, η2 = 0.41). Although MVCT group had a significant reduction in total body weight (TBW, −1.8%, p = 0.034), fat mass (FM, - 4.7%, p = 0.002) and percentage body fat (PBF, −2.9%, p = 0.016), there were no significant between-group differences in the change of the pre- and post-measures of these variables. The HIIT group had a higher score on PAES than the MVCT group during the intervention. For both conditions, exercise training led to a decline in resting testosterone and estradiol levels, but had no significant effect on blood lipids.ConclusionBoth HIIT and MVCT are effective in improving cardiorespiratory fitness and in reducing sexual hormones in obese young women; however, HIIT is a more enjoyable and time-efficient strategy. The mild-HIIT protocol seems to be useful for at least maintaining the body weight among sedentary individuals.

High-Intensity Interval Training Elicits Higher Enjoyment than Moderate Intensity Continuous Exercise

“…In addition, the unequal disparity of male and female participants does not allow us to consider a potential role of gender on these responses, as done in a previous study [32]. Although enjoyment responses to a single bout of HIIT may be predictive of attitudes towards chronic exercise participation in this modality, little research [15, 31] exists examining if enjoyment is modified long-term. Lastly, sprint interval training [33–34] is a widely used and more intense approach to HIIT whose completion improves various health outcomes; however, it was not completed in the present study.…”

“…In addition, a few studies have examined changes in enjoyment during chronic administration of HIIT. In young, healthy obese men and women [31], enjoyment significantly increased during training, and in another study [15], enjoyment was consistently higher throughout 5 wk of HIIT versus MICT despite it being at a higher intensity (80%VO 2 peak vs. 71%VO 2 peak). These findings, albeit preliminary, show that chronic HIIT is viewed as more enjoyable than MICT and emphasize the potential of this exercise paradigm in young, overweight-to-obese individuals.…”

“…In addition, HIIT was viewed as more enjoyable than vigorous exercise yet no differences in enjoyment were seen compared to MICT. In obese young women, Kong et al [15] reported that enjoyment was significantly higher during each week of a 5 wk HIIT regimen (repeated 8 s “all-out” sprints separated by 12 s passive recovery) compared to MICT (40 min at 60–80%VO 2 max).…”

The influence of high‐intensity interval training on anthropometric variables of adults with overweight or obesity: a systematic review and network meta‐analysis

“… observed that MICT sessions resulted in an energy expenditure ~33% higher than that of HIIT; in a study by Kong et al . , the energy expenditure of the MICT sessions was ~102% higher than that of the HIIT sessions. Thus, review studies must consider analyses that included isocaloric protocols only .…”

The effects of high‐intensity interval training vs. moderate‐intensity continuous training on body composition in overweight and obese adults: a systematic review and meta‐analysis

“…Despite clear evidence for the positive adaptations following HIIT compared with MICT with regard to aerobic fitness and vascular function, it is still unclear which form of training is most effective for weight control, overall fat loss or central adiposity. Recent studies have analysed the comparative effectiveness of HIIT and MICT on body fat loss in overweight populations with varying findings (23)(24)(25)(26)(27)(28)(29)(30)(31)(32)(33)(34)(35), but a systematic review is yet to be conducted. The aim of this systematic review and meta-analysis was to compare the effectiveness of HIIT and MICT on body weight and body composition outcomes in healthy but overweight or obese adults.…”