The Effects of High-Intensity Interval Training vs. Moderate-Intensity Continuous Training on Heart Rate Variability in Physically Inactive Adults

Abdullah Alansare, Ken Alford, Sukho Lee, Tommie Church and Hyun Chul Jung
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Abdullah Alansare: Department of Kinesiology, College of Health Sciences, University of Louisiana at Monroe, 700 University Avenue Brown Hall, Monroe, LA 71209, USA
Ken Alford: Department of Kinesiology, College of Health Sciences, University of Louisiana at Monroe, 700 University Avenue Brown Hall, Monroe, LA 71209, USA
Sukho Lee: Department of Counseling, Health, and Kinesiology, College of Education and Human Development Texas A&M University-San Antonio, One University Way, San Antonio, Texas, TX 78224, USA
Tommie Church: Department of Kinesiology, College of Health Sciences, University of Louisiana at Monroe, 700 University Avenue Brown Hall, Monroe, LA 71209, USA
Hyun Chul Jung: Department of Kinesiology, College of Health Sciences, University of Louisiana at Monroe, 700 University Avenue Brown Hall, Monroe, LA 71209, USA

IJERPH, 2018, vol. 15, issue 7, 1-10

Abstract: Physically inactive adults are prevalent worldwide. This study compared the effects of short-term high-intensity interval training (HIIT) versus moderate-intensity continuous training (MICT) on heart rate variability (HRV) in physically inactive adults as a preliminary study. Thirteen physically inactive male adults (27.5 ± 3.80 years) were randomly assigned to HIIT (N = 7) or MICT (N = 6). The HIIT program consisted of 20 min of interval training with cycling to rest ratio of 10/50 s at ≥90% HR peak , while the MICT program consisted of 40 min of continuous cycling at 60–75% HR peak . Both groups completed eight sessions of training within two weeks. Time and frequency domains of HRV were measured for 20 min with Actiwave-Cardio monitor (CamNtech, UK). The number of R-R interval and inter-beat interval (IBI) were significantly improved ( p < 0.05) in both HIIT and MICT programs following eight sessions of training. A significant interaction effect for group by time was found in the lnLF/HF ratio ( p < 0.05) where it was only improved in the HIIT group from pre- to post-test. The HIIT program is superior to MICT in improving HRV in physically inactive adults. The HIIT program can be applied as a time-efficient program for improving cardiac-autoregulation.

Keywords: cardiac auto-regulation; frequency domain; time domain; blood pressure; exercise (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2018
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (12)

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