Psychological and Behavioral Responses to Interval and Continuous Exercise

Purpose To compare psychological responses to, and preferences for, moderate-intensity continuous training (MICT), high-intensity interval training (HIIT), and sprint interval training (SIT) among inactive adults; and to investigate the relationships between affect, enjoyment, exercise preferences, and subsequent exercise behavior over a 4-wk follow-up period. Methods Thirty inactive men and women (21.23 ± 3.81 yr), inexperienced with HIIT or SIT, completed three trials of cycle ergometer exercise in random order on separate days: MICT (45 min continuous; approximately 70% to 75% of HR maximum (HRmax)); HIIT (10 × 1 min bouts at approximately 85% to 90% HRmax with 1-min recovery periods); and SIT (3 × 20-s “all-out” sprints with 2-min recovery periods). Perceived exertion (RPE), affect, and arousal were measured throughout the trials and enjoyment was measured postexercise. Participants rank-ordered the protocols (1–3) according to preference and logged their exercise over a 4-wk follow-up. Results Despite elevated HR, RPE, and arousal during work periods (P’s 0.05). In-task affect was predictive of postexercise enjoyment for each type of exercise (r’s = 0.32 to 0.47; P’s
Source: Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise - Category: Sports Medicine Tags: Applied Sciences Source Type: research