Examining matched acute physiological responses to various modes of exercise in individuals who are overweight

The purpose of this study is to perform a match comparison of 3 different exercise programs: traditional continuous endurance training (ET); mixed-intensity interval ET (MI-ET); and circuit-interval resistance training (CRT) programs, to determine which of the 3 programs provides greater benefit of exercise in individuals who are overweight. This benefit of training is measured in Caloric expenditure per minute of exercise (kcalxmin), along with acute cardiovascular responses (average and maximal heart rate [HR], bxmin) and time of training spent within a favorable HR training zone for the exerciser. Thirteen (13) individuals, 7 men and 6 women, average of 35 +/- 2.3 years of age, who are overweight, average body weight of 79.8 +/- 5.1 kg with a body mass index of 35 +/- 1, were recruited from a local fitness center and were then randomly assigned to an order to complete 1 session of each of the 3 modes of exercise. There was no difference between program groups (MI-ET, CRT, and ET programs) for average HR response, p > 0.05; however, the individuals while performing the MI-ET program spent a greater percent of training time within a favorable training zone than the CRT or ET programs (p < 0.01). Additionally, the MI-ET and CRT programs produced greater Caloric expenditure (kcalxmin) than the ET program (p < 0.01) with no statistical difference between the MI-ET and CRT programs (p > 0.05). Although the CRT produces the greatest overall Caloric expenditure, the MI-ET program produces measures that provided a significantly greater benefit of exercise for the 3 programs of interest.