Effect of 2 weeks of sprint interval training on health-related outcomes in sedentary overweight/obese men

Abstract 

The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of very high intensity sprint interval training (SIT) on metabolic and vascular risk factors in overweight/obese sedentary men. Ten men (age, 32.1 ± 8.7 years; body mass index, 31.0 ± 3.7 kg m⁻²) participated. After baseline metabolic, anthropometric, and fitness measurements, participants completed a 2-week SIT intervention, comprising 6 sessions of 4 to 6 repeats of 30-second Wingate anaerobic sprints on an electromagnetically braked cycle ergometer, with 4.5-minute recovery between each repetition. Metabolic, anthropometric, and fitness assessments were repeated post-intervention. Both maximal oxygen uptake (2.98 ± 0.15 vs 3.23 ± 0.14 L min⁻¹, P = .013) and mean Wingate power (579 ± 24 vs 600 ± 19 W, P = .040) significantly increased after 2 weeks of SIT. Insulin sensitivity index (5.35 ± 0.72 vs 4.34 ± 0.72, P = .027) and resting fat oxidation rate in the fasted state (0.13 ± 0.01 vs 0.11 ± 0.01 g min⁻¹, P = .019) were significantly higher and systolic blood pressure (121 ± 3 vs 127 ± 3 mm Hg, P = .020) and resting carbohydrate oxidation in the fasted state (0.03 ± 0.01 vs 0.08 ± 0.02 g min⁻¹, P = .037) were significantly lower 24 hours post-intervention compared with baseline, but these changes were no longer significant 72 hours post-intervention. Significant decreases in waist (98.9 ± 3.1 vs 101.3 ± 2.7 cm, P = .004) and hip (109.8 ± 2.2 vs 110.9 ± 2.2 cm, P = .017) circumferences compared with baseline were also observed after the intervention. Thus, 2 weeks of SIT substantially improved a number of metabolic and vascular risk factors in overweight/obese sedentary men, highlighting the potential for this to provide an alternative exercise model for the improvement of vascular and metabolic health in this population.