About This Project

Obesity & chronic disease are on the rise, so determining effective exercise regimens to combat obesity and improve health is necessary. High intensity interval training (HIIT) increases maximal oxygen uptake (VO2max), overall physical function & health status. Yet, little research has investigated HIIT in obese women. We will compare the effects of 2 HIIT regimens on VO2max, cardiac output, body fat, and muscle strength in obese women.

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What is the context of this research?

Public health guidelines advocate that every adult accumulate 150 minutes per week of moderate physical activity. Despite the fact that regular physical activity improves physical function and reduces risk of every known chronic disease, adherence to exercise is poor, partially due to lack of time. High intensity interval training (HIIT) has been reported to improve physical fitness and health status similar to moderate exercise while being more time-efficient. We propose a novel study comparing adaptations to two HIIT regimes differing in structure in healthy sedentary obese women.

What is the significance of this project?

Individuals with obesity face increased risk of chronic disease including cancer, diabetes, and heart disease. Data show that regular completion of moderate exercise can induce substantial improvements in health status in obese persons in the form of improvements in cardiorespiratory fitness, body composition, and glucose control without dramatic weight loss. However, this mode of exercise is time-intensive and is often viewed as aversive and unpleasant, which tends to reduce adherence and thus magnitude of health-related adaptations. Little data exist showing efficacy of HIIT in obese women, so data from the proposed study will shed light on the effectiveness of HIIT as an exercise countermeasure in this population.

What are the goals of the project?

The goal of this project is to compare changes in physical fitness, cardiac output, body fat, & muscle strength between 2 different HIIT regimens in obese women. The participants will complete 6 weeks of HIIT training. VO2max, cardiac output, body fat & muscle strength will be measure pre-, mid- & post-training to track changes. Another goal of this project is to gauge the feasibility of HIIT performed outside of a lab in a clinical population. We will test the "real-world" suitability of HIIT by requiring the participants to perform one training session per week on their own. This is a novel aspect of the study, as it is unclear if HIIT can be easily and properly performed by participants outside a supervised lab setting.