Continuous exercise but not high intensity interval training improves fat distribution in overweight adults
Shelley E Keating1, Elizabeth A Machan1, Helen T O'Connor2
1Discipline of Exercise and Sports Science, The University of Sydney, Lidcombe, NSW 2141, Australia.
Objective:
The purpose of this study was to assess the effect of high intensity interval training (HIIT) versus continuous aerobic exercise training (CONT) or placebo (PLA) on body composition by randomized controlled design.
Methods:
Work capacity and body composition (dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry) were measured before and after 12 weeks of intervention in 38 previously inactive overweight adults.
Results:
There was a significant group × time interaction for change in work capacity (P < 0.001), which increased significantly in CONT (23.8 ± 3.0%) and HIIT (22.3 ± 3.5%) but not PLA (3.1 ± 5.0%). There was a near-significant main effect for percentage trunk fat, with trunk fat reducing in CONT by 3.1 ± 1.6% and in PLA by 1.1 ± 0.4%, but not in HIIT (increase of 0.7 ± 1.0%) (P = 0.07). There was a significant reduction in android fat percentage in CONT (2.7 ± 1.3%) and PLA (1.4 ± 0.8%) but not HIIT (increase of 0.8 ± 0.7%) (P = 0.04).
Conclusion:
These data suggest that HIIT may be advocated as a time-efficient strategy for eliciting comparable fitness benefits to traditional continuous exercise in inactive, overweight adults. However, in this population HIIT does not confer the same benefit to body fat levels as continuous exercise training.
Related Concept Videos
Exercise and Cardiovascular Response
Light to moderate physical activity initiates a series of interconnected responses in the body. The heart rate modestly increases in anticipation of the workout, followed by widespread vasodilation as oxygen consumption by skeletal muscles increases. This results in decreased peripheral resistance, increased capillary blood flow, and accelerated...
Exercise and Cardiac Output
Sustained exercise increases the muscles' oxygen demand, which can be...
Exercise and Muscle Performance
Endurance exercises
Endurance exercises involve running, swimming, or cycling, which require repetitive movements with low force output. When a person engages in endurance exercise, a few noticeable changes occur in their skeletal muscles. For instance, the number of capillaries...
Pharmacokinetics in Obese Patients: Drug Absorption and Distribution
Atherosclerosis III: Management
Drug Dosing: Obese Patients


