Abstract
This study aimed to evaluate systematic reviews and meta-analyses that have examined the effect of exercise training on VO2max in healthy individuals at different intensities. Five databases were searched: EBSCOhost, MEDLINE/PubMed, SPORTDiscus, Web of Science, and Google Scholar. Eligibility criteria for selecting reviews included systematic reviews and meta-analyses of healthy adults that examined the effect of lower intensity training (LIT) and/or high intensity training (HIT) on VO2max. Eleven reviews met the eligibility criteria. All reviews were of moderate-to-very strong methodological quality. The included reviews reported data from 179 primary studies with an average of 23 ± 10 studies per review. All reviews included in this overview showed that exercise training robustly increased VO2max at all intensities. Three meta-analyses that compared LIT versus HIT protocols on VO2max reported small/moderate beneficial effects for HIT over LIT; however, the beneficial effects of HIT on VO2max appear to be moderated by training variables other than intensity (e.g., training impulse, interval length, training volume, and duration) and participants' baseline characteristics (e.g., age and fitness levels). Overall, evidence from this overview suggests that the apparent differences between LIT and HIT protocols on VO2max were either small, trivial, or inconclusive, with several methodological considerations required to standardise research designs and draw definitive conclusions.
Highlights
IntroductionVO2max is the gold standard measure of cardiorespiratory fitness [1, 2] and a strong predictor of cardiovascular health, morbidity, and all-cause mortality [3,4,5]. erefore, an improvement in VO2max (i.e., the functional limit of the cardiorespiratory system) can reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease and mortality—even when other risk factors are present (e.g., ageing, hypertension, diabetes, smoking, and obesity) [4, 6]
VO2max is the gold standard measure of cardiorespiratory fitness [1, 2] and a strong predictor of cardiovascular health, morbidity, and all-cause mortality [3,4,5]. erefore, an improvement in VO2max can reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease and mortality—even when other risk factors are present [4, 6]
Three exercise modalities are commonly prescribed within the literature: (1) moderate-intensity continuous training (MICT); (2) high-intensity interval training (HIIT); and (3) sprint interval training (SIT)
Summary
VO2max is the gold standard measure of cardiorespiratory fitness [1, 2] and a strong predictor of cardiovascular health, morbidity, and all-cause mortality [3,4,5]. erefore, an improvement in VO2max (i.e., the functional limit of the cardiorespiratory system) can reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease and mortality—even when other risk factors are present (e.g., ageing, hypertension, diabetes, smoking, and obesity) [4, 6]. A standardised approach to the categorisation of intensity has been frequently established (e.g., LIT refers to exercise bouts 80% VO2max [7]). Within these categories, three exercise modalities are commonly prescribed within the literature: (1) moderate-intensity continuous training (MICT); (2) high-intensity interval training (HIIT); and (3) sprint interval training (SIT). HIIT is a form of interval training, which refers to intermittent exercise that involves alternating higher intensity with lower intensity [10], with high intensity (e.g., 80–170% VO2max) bouts of exercise between 30 seconds
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