Effects of self-paced interval and continuous training on health markers in women
Abstract
Purpose
To compare the effects of self-paced high-intensity interval and continuous cycle training on health markers in premenopausal women.
Methods
Forty-five inactive females were randomised to a high-intensity interval training (HIIT; n = 15), continuous training (CT; n = 15) or an inactive control (CON; n = 15) group. HIIT performed 5 × 5 min sets comprising repetitions of 30-s low-, 20-s moderate- and 10-s high-intensity cycling with 2 min rest between sets. CT completed 50 min of continuous cycling. Training was completed self-paced, 3 times weekly for 12 weeks.
Results
Peak oxygen uptake (16 ± 8 and 21 ± 12%), resting heart rate (HR) (−5 ± 9 and −4 ± 7 bpm) and visual and verbal learning improved following HIIT and CT compared to CON (P < 0.05). Total body mass (−0.7 ± 1.4 kg), submaximal walking HR (−3 ± 4 bpm) and verbal memory were enhanced following HIIT (P < 0.05), whereas mental well-being, systolic (−5 ± 6 mmHg) and mean arterial (−3 ± 5 mmHg) blood pressures were improved following CT (P < 0.05). Participants reported similar levels of enjoyment following HIIT and CT, and there were no changes in fasting serum lipids, fasting blood [glucose] or [glucose] during an oral glucose tolerance test following either HIIT or CT (P > 0.05). No outcome variable changed in the CON group (P > 0.05).
Conclusions
Twelve weeks of self-paced HIIT and CT were similarly effective at improving cardiorespiratory fitness, resting HR and cognitive function in inactive premenopausal women, whereas blood pressure, submaximal HR, well-being and body mass adaptations were training-type-specific. Both training methods improved established health markers, but the adaptations to HIIT were evoked for a lower time commitment.
Publisher URL: https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s00421-017-3715-9
DOI: 10.1007/s00421-017-3715-9
Keeping up-to-date with research can feel impossible, with papers being published faster than you'll ever be able to read them. That's where Researcher comes in: we're simplifying discovery and making important discussions happen. With over 19,000 sources, including peer-reviewed journals, preprints, blogs, universities, podcasts and Live events across 10 research areas, you'll never miss what's important to you. It's like social media, but better. Oh, and we should mention - it's free.
Researcher displays publicly available abstracts and doesn’t host any full article content. If the content is open access, we will direct clicks from the abstracts to the publisher website and display the PDF copy on our platform. Clicks to view the full text will be directed to the publisher website, where only users with subscriptions or access through their institution are able to view the full article.