Open AccessEnjoyment for High-Intensity Interval Exercise Increases during the First Six Weeks of Training: Implications for Promoting Exercise Adherence in Sedentary Adults
Author(s) -
Jennifer J. Heisz,
Mary Grace M. Tejada,
Emily M. Paolucci,
Carlyn Muir
Publication year - 2016
Publication title -
plos one
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.99
H-Index - 332
ISSN - 1932-6203
DOI - 10.1371/journal.pone.0168534
Subject(s) - high intensity interval training , interval training , physical therapy , workload , continuous training , medicine , sedentary lifestyle , intensity (physics) , young adult , training (meteorology) , exercise intensity , physical exercise , psychology , physical medicine and rehabilitation , physical activity , gerontology , heart rate , computer science , physics , quantum mechanics , meteorology , blood pressure , operating system
This is the first study to show that enjoyment for high-intensity interval exercise increases with chronic training. Prior acute studies typically report high-intensity interval training (HIT) as being more enjoyable than moderate continuous training (MCT) unless the high-intensity intervals are too strenuous or difficult to complete. It follows that exercise competency may be a critical factor contributing to the enjoyment of HIT, and therefore building competency through chronic training may be one way to increase its enjoyment. To test this, we randomly assigned sedentary young adults to six weeks of HIT or MCT, and tracked changes in their enjoyment for the exercise. Enjoyment for HIT increased with training whereas enjoyment for MCT remained constant and lower. Changes in exercise enjoyment were predicted by increases in workload, suggesting that strength adaptions may be important for promoting exercise enjoyment. The results point to HIT as a promising protocol for promoting exercise enjoyment and adherence in sedentary young adults.