High-intensity interval training elicits more enjoyment and positive affective valence than moderate-intensity training over a 12-week intervention in overweight young women

Feifei Li; Zhaowei Kong; Xiangui Zhu; Bik Chu Chow; Dandan Zhang; Wei Liang; Borui Shang; Yang Liu; Haifeng Zhang

doi:10.1016/j.jesf.2022.05.001

High-intensity interval training elicits more enjoyment and positive affective valence than moderate-intensity training over a 12-week intervention in overweight young women

J Exerc Sci Fit. 2022 Jul;20(3):249-255. doi: 10.1016/j.jesf.2022.05.001. Epub 2022 May 11.

Authors

Feifei Li^{1

2

3}, Zhaowei Kong⁴, Xiangui Zhu², Bik Chu Chow^{3

5}, Dandan Zhang⁶, Wei Liang^{1

3}, Borui Shang⁷, Yang Liu², Haifeng Zhang^{2

8}

Affiliations

¹ Centre for Health and Exercise Science Research, Hong Kong Baptist University, Hong Kong, China.
² Physical Education College, Hebei Normal University, Shijiazhuang, China.
³ Department of Sport, Physical Education and Health, Hong Kong Baptist University, China.
⁴ Faculty of Education, University of Macau, Macau, China.
⁵ Dr. Stephen Hui Research Centre for Physical Recreation and Wellness, Hong Kong Baptist University, Hong Kong, China.
⁶ Institute of Finance and Economics, Shanghai Lida University, Shanghai, China.
⁷ Department of Social Sciences, Hebei Sport University, Shijiazhuang, China.
⁸ Hebei Provincial Key Laboratory of Measurement and Evaluation in Human Movement and Bio-Information, Hebei Normal University, Shijiazhuang, China.

Abstract

Background: The purpose of this study was to compare the differences in enjoyment and affect in response to four weight control intervention protocols over 12 weeks.

Methods: Sixty overweight young females were randomised into four intervention groups: repeated sprint training (RST, 6-sec all-out sprint interspersed with 9-sec rest), high-intensity interval training (HIIT) with short interval (HIIT₁₂₀, 1-min effort at 120% V̇O_2peak) and long interval (HIIT₉₀, 4-min effort at 90% V̇O_2peak), and moderate-intensity continuous training (MICT, 60% V̇O_2peak) by cycling over 12 weeks. The total workload in each training session in HIIT₁₂₀, HIIT₉₀, and MICT was confined to 200 kJ, while it was lower in RST with 57 ± 4 kJ. Enjoyment (Physical Activity Enjoyment Scale, PACES) and affective valence (Feeling Scale, FS) were measured throughout the intervention.

Results: The score of the PACES on average over 12 weeks showed a significant between-group effect that was lower in MICT (80.8 ± 11.8) compared with HIIT₁₂₀ (92.5 ± 11.4) and HIIT₉₀ (96.8 ± 13.9) (p < 0.05). In the 8th week, enjoyment was scored higher in two HIITs compared with MICT. In the 12th week, HIITs and RST were more enjoyable than MICT, where two HIITs were better than RST. The score of FS showed a significant between-group effect that was higher in HIIT₉₀ (1.5 ± 1.4) compared with HIIT₁₂₀ (0.2 ± 1.2) (p < 0.05), but a non-significant time or group-by-time interaction effect. A significant weight loss occurred in three interval training protocols (p < 0.05), but not in MICT. The V̇O_2peak significantly increased in four groups without between-group difference.

Conclusion: Interval training, especially the long-interval type, is an enjoyable and pleasant long-term exercise intervention for overweight young women. RST could be an alternative for weight control considering its time efficiency with comparable enjoyment and overall pleasure.

Keywords: Affective valence; Enjoyment; High-intensity interval training; Moderate-intensity continuous training; Pleasure; Repeated sprint interval training.