Abstract
Background: Exercise has beneficial effects on older adults, but controversy surrounds the purported “compensatory effects” that training may have on total daily physical activity and energy expenditure in the elderly. We wanted to determine whether 8 weeks of high-intensity interval training (HIIT) induced such effects on physical activity and energy expenditure in healthy, active older adult men. Methods: Twenty-four healthy elderly male volunteers were randomized to two groups. The experimental group performed HIIT (7 × 2 min cycling repetitions, 3 d/w); the control group performed continuous moderate-intensity training (20–30 min cycling, 3 d/w). Physical activity and energy expenditure were measured with a multisensor activity monitor SenseWear Armband Mini. Results: During HIIT, significant changes were observed in moderate and vigorous physical activity, average daily metabolic equivalents (METs), physical activity level, and activity energy expenditure (p < 0.05) but not in total energy expenditure. Sleep and sedentary time, and levels of light physical activity remained constant during the training period. Conclusions: The findings suggest that HIIT induced no compensatory effect: HIIT does not adversely affect lifestyle, as it does not reduce daily energy expenditure and/or increase sedentary time.
Highlights
Regular exercise has beneficial effects on health in older adults: exercise training can improve muscle function, increase aerobic capacity, and reduce the incidence of cardiovascular events and non-cardiovascular chronic disease, reducing physical frailty and delaying physical dependence [1,2]
Our findings show a significant effect of training, with short sessions of exercise performed at high intensity, on moderate and vigorous physical activity, average daily metabolic equivalents (METs), physical activity level, and activity energy expenditure, compared to baseline
While our data show a significant increase in levels of physical activity and daily energy expenditure during high-intensity interval training (HIIT), these lifestyle changes were not maintained at 2 months after the end of the HIIT program
Summary
Regular exercise has beneficial effects on health in older adults: exercise training can improve muscle function, increase aerobic capacity, and reduce the incidence of cardiovascular events and non-cardiovascular chronic disease, reducing physical frailty and delaying physical dependence [1,2]. Aging is associated with a decline in physical activity, and exercise programs for the elderly are promoted to increase levels of physical activity [5]. Exercise has beneficial effects on older adults, but controversy surrounds the purported “compensatory effects” that training may have on total daily physical activity and energy expenditure in the elderly. We wanted to determine whether 8 weeks of high-intensity interval training (HIIT) induced such effects on physical activity and energy expenditure in healthy, active older adult men. Conclusions: The findings suggest that HIIT induced no compensatory effect: HIIT does not adversely affect lifestyle, as it does not reduce daily energy expenditure and/or increase sedentary time
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