Changes in VO2max and cardiac output in response to short-term high-intensity interval training in Caucasian and Hispanic young women: A pilot study

Data obtained in primarily Caucasian (C) and African American adults show that ethnicity does not mediate responsiveness to exercise training. It is unknown if Hispanics (H), who face elevated health risks and are less active than C, exhibit a similar response to exercise training. This study compared cardiorespiratory and hemodynamic responses to high intensity interval training (HIIT) between C and H women. Twelve C and ten H women ages 19–35 yr who were non-obese and inactive completed nine sessions of HIIT over a 3 wk period. Maximal oxygen uptake (VO 2 max) was assessed twice at baseline during which thoracic impedance was used to evaluate heart rate (HR), stroke volume (SV) and cardiac output (CO). Habitual physical activity was assessed using accelerometry. Results showed a significant main effect of training for VO 2 max in C and H (F = 13.97, p = 0.001) and no group by training interaction (p = 0.65). There was a main effect of training for CO and SV in C and H (F = 7.57, p = 0.01; F = 7.16, p = 0.02), yet post hoc analyses revealed significant increases were only exhibited in C. There was a tendency for a group by training interaction for a-VO 2 diff (F = 1.32, p = 0.054), and a large effect size was seen in H (d = 1.02). Overall, data show no effect of ethnicity on changes in VO 2 max with low-volume HIIT, yet C and H may achieve this outcome differently. Longer studies in similar populations are needed to verify this result.