Abstract
Introduction: High-intensity interval training (HIIT) is an emerging lifestyle intervention strategy for controlling obesity. HIIT consisted of brief all-out supramaximal sprint intervals was termed as sprint interval training (SIT). This study was designed to examine the time-efficient characteristics of SIT in reducing abdominal visceral fat.Methods: A randomized controlled trial was conducted to compare the specific adaptations of SIT (80 × 6 s all-out cycle sprints interspersed with 9 s passive recovery) with those resulting from a HIIT regimen with training volume relatively higher (repeated 4 min bouts of cycling at 90% O2max alternated with 3 min rest, until the work of 400KJ was achieved), and with those of nonexercising control counterparts (CON). Forty-six obese young women (body fat percentage ≥30) received either SIT (n = 16), HIIT (n = 16), or no training (n = 14), 3–4 sessions per week, for 12 weeks. The abdominal visceral fat area (AVFA) and abdominal subcutaneous fat area (ASFA) of the participants were measured through computed tomography scans pre-intervention and post-intervention. Total fat mass and the fat mass of the android, gynoid, and trunk regions were assessed through dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry.Results: Following the intervention, abdominal visceral and subcutaneous fat were reduced markedly (p < 0.05). The reduction in AVFA (−6.31, −9.7 cm2) was not different between SIT and HIIT (p > 0.05), while the reduction in ASFA (−17.4, −40.7 cm2) in SIT was less than that in HIIT (p < 0.05). Less reduction in the fat mass of the trunk (−1.2, −2.0 kg) region was also found in SIT, while the reductions in fat percentage (−1.9%, −2.0%), total fat mass (−2.0, −2.8 kg), and fat mass of the android (−0.2, −0.2 kg), and gynoid (−0.4, −0.3 kg) regions did not differ between the two regimes (p > 0.05). In contrast, the increase in O2max was significant greater following the SIT than HIIT (p < 0.01). No variable changed in CON.Conclusion: Such findings suggest that the lower training load and exercise time commitments of the SIT regime could optimize the time-efficiency advantage of the traditional HIIT, facilitating the abdominal visceral fat reduction in obese young women.
Highlights
High-intensity interval training (HIIT) is an emerging lifestyle intervention strategy for controlling obesity
The facilitation effects of high-intensity exercise, in comparison to low-intensity exercise, on abdominal visceral fat reduction have been demonstrated in obese women participated in endurance exercise training, and was partly attributed to the greater negative energy balance, and the potential increase in lipolytic hormone secretion (Irving et al, 2008)
Of the 54 eligible participants, two participants in sprint interval training (SIT) and HIIT, and four in CON withdrew from the intervention for personal reasons that were not exercise-related
Summary
High-intensity interval training (HIIT) is an emerging lifestyle intervention strategy for controlling obesity. Only a limited number of studies have systematically examined the impact of HIIT protocols on abdominal visceral fat reduction (Maillard et al, 2018). A time-efficient HIIT protocol for reducing the specific abdominal fat remains elusive. The dose-response effect of HIIT on visceral fat reduction was examined in obese women by increasing the repetitions of high-intensity exercise in each training session (Zhang et al, 2015, 2017). The facilitation effects of high-intensity exercise, in comparison to low-intensity exercise, on abdominal visceral fat reduction have been demonstrated in obese women participated in endurance exercise training, and was partly attributed to the greater negative energy balance, and the potential increase in lipolytic hormone secretion (Irving et al, 2008). In light of the previous findings, it was reasonable to postulate that the exercise intensity of the HIIT protocol, rather than the training volume, is the foundation of eliminating excess visceral fat in obese individual
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
