Network Analysis of the Social Environment Relative to Preference for and Tolerance of Exercise Intensity in CrossFit Gyms.

Megan S Patterson,Tyler Prochnow,Taylor Graves-Boswell,Mandy N Spadine,Katie M Heinrich

doi:10.3390/ijerph17228370

Abstract

Known for its ability to improve fitness and health, high-intensity functional training (HIFT) focuses on functional movements completed at high intensities, often yielding outcomes superior to repetitive aerobic workouts. Preference for and tolerance of high-intensity exercise are associated with enjoyment of and adherence to HIFT. Similarly, the social environment present within CrossFit, a popular group-based HIFT modality, is important to the enjoyment of and adherence to HIFT. This study aimed to test whether preference and tolerance were related to social connections within CrossFit networks. Linear network autocorrelation models (LNAMs) and exponential random graph models (ERGMs) were computed on sociometric and attribute data from members of three CrossFit networks (n = 197). LNAMs showed the preference and tolerance scores of someone’s social connections were associated with their own in all three gyms, and ERGMs demonstrated preference and tolerance scores were associated with the presence of social ties within all networks. This study is the first to provide evidence for a relationship between social connections and preference and tolerance. Future longitudinal research is needed to determine if the social environment may influence and optimize a person’s preference of and tolerance for HIFT.

Highlights

Despite overwhelming evidence of the health benefits related to regular exercise participation [1,2], the majority of U.S adults do not meet physical activity guidelines [3,4]
All study procedures were approved by Texas A&M University’s institutional review board prior to data collection, and guidelines outlined in the Strengthening the Reporting of Observational Studies in Epidemiology (STROBE) were followed in this paper [35]
After conducting social network analyses on three gyms, we provide evidence that the preference and tolerance scores of individuals relate to the preference and tolerance scores of their social connections, suggesting the possibility of social influence

Summary

Introduction

Despite overwhelming evidence of the health benefits related to regular exercise participation [1,2], the majority of U.S adults do not meet physical activity guidelines [3,4]. Organization [5] and US Department of Health and Human Services [6] recommends adults engage in aerobic activity for at least 150 min at moderate intensity or 75 min at vigorous intensity each week, in addition to incorporating resistance training on at least two days of every week. A potential solution that provides fitness and health improvements in less time per week than current guidelines is a relatively new method called high-intensity functional training (HIFT) [8]. HIFT is a “training style [or program] that incorporates functional, multimodal movements, performed at relatively high intensity, and is designed to improve parameters of general physical fitness and performance” [9]. Public Health 2020, 17, 8370; doi:10.3390/ijerph17228370 www.mdpi.com/journal/ijerph

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