Effects of high-intensity interval training on cardiometabolic risk factors in overweight/obese women

The purpose of this study was to evaluate two practical interval training protocols on cardiorespiratory fitness, lipids and body composition in overweight/obese women. Thirty women (mean +/- SD; weight: 88.1 +/- 15.9kg; BMI: 32.0 +/- 6.0kg center dot m(2)) were randomly assigned to ten 1-min high-intensity intervals (90%VO2 peak, 1 min recovery) or five 2-min high-intensity intervals (80-100% VO2 peak, 1min recovery) or control. Peak oxygen uptake (VO2 peak), peak power output (PPO), body composition and fasting blood lipids were evaluated before and after 3weeks of training, completed 3days per week. Results from ANCOVA analyses demonstrated no significant training group differences for any primary variables (P > 0.05). When training groups were collapsed, 1MIN and 2MIN resulted in a significant increase in PPO (triangle 18.9 +/- 8.5 watts; P=0.014) and time to exhaustion (triangle 55.1 +/- 16.4s; P=0.001); non-significant increase in VO2 peak (2.36 +/- 1.34ml center dot kg(-1) center dot min(-1); P=0.185); and a significant decrease in fat mass (FM) (-triangle 1.96 +/- 0.99kg; P=0.011). Short-term interval exercise training may be effective for decreasing FM and improving exercise tolerance in overweight and obese women.