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Cited by 286Cardiovascular and exercise physiologySports Performance and TrainingPhysical Activity and Health

The DOI matches its Crossref record; 162 of the 163 references it cites were found in a registry or an index.

The effect of low-volume high-intensity interval training on body composition and cardiorespiratory fitness: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Sultana, Rachelle N., Sabag, Angelo, Keating, Shelley E., Johnson, Nathan A.·2019·Sports Medicine
DOI 10.1007/s40279-019-01167-w
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Abstract

Background Evidence for the efficacy of low-volume high-intensity interval training (HIIT) for the modulation of body composition is unclear.Objectives We examined the effect of low-volume HIIT versus a non-exercising control and moderate-intensity continuous training (MICT) on body composition and cardiorespiratory fitness in normal weight, overweight and obese adults. We evaluated the impact of low-volume HIIT (HIIT interventions where the total amount of exercise performed during training was ≤ 500 metabolic equivalent minutes per week [MET-min/week]) compared to a non-exercising control and MICT.Methods A database search was conducted in PubMed (MEDLINE), EMBASE, CINAHL, Web of Science, SPORTDiscus and Scopus from the earliest record to June 2019 for studies (randomised controlled trials and non-randomised controlled trials) with exercise training interventions with a minimum 4-week duration. Meta-analyses were conducted for between-group (low-volume HIIT vs. non-exercising control and low-volume HIIT vs. MICT) comparisons for change in total body fat mass (kg), body fat percentage (%), lean body mass (kg) and cardiorespiratory fitness.Results From 11,485 relevant records, 47 studies were included. No difference was found between low-volume HIIT and a non-exercising control on total body fat mass (kg) (effect size [ES]: - 0.129, 95% confidence interval [CI] - 0.468 to 0.210; p = 0.455), body fat (%) (ES: - 0.063, 95% CI - 0.383 to 0.257; p = 0.700) and lean body mass (kg) (ES: 0.050, 95% CI - 0.250 to 0.351; p = 0.744), or between low-volume HIIT and MICT on total body fat mass (kg) (ES: - 0.021, 95% CI - 0.272 to 0.231; p = 0.872), body fat (%) (ES: 0.005, 95% CI - 0.294 to 0.304; p = 0.974) and lean body mass (kg) (ES: 0.030, 95% CI - 0.167 to 0.266; p = 0.768). However, low-volume HIIT significantly improved cardiorespiratory fitness compared with a non-exercising control (p < 0.001) and MICT (p = 0.017).Conclusion These data suggest that low-volume HIIT is inefficient for the modulation of total body fat mass or total body fat percentage in comparison with a non-exercise control and MICT. A novel finding of our meta-analysis was that there appears to be no significant effect of low-volume HIIT on lean body mass when compared with a non-exercising control, and while most studies tended to favour improvement in lean body mass with low-volume HIIT versus MICT, this was not significant. However, despite its lower training volume, low-volume HIIT induces greater improvements in cardiorespiratory fitness than a non-exercising control and MICT in normal weight, overweight and obese adults. Low-volume HIIT, therefore, appears to be a time-efficient treatment for increasing fitness, but not for the improvement of body composition.

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Research works printed but not linked: 3

  1. World Health Organization. Global recommendations on physical activity for health. Geneva: WHO; 2010.
  2. World Health Organization. Global recommendations on physical activity for health. Geneva: World Health Organization; 2010.
  3. Azar JT, Hemmatinafar M, Nemati J. Effect of six weeks of high intensity interval training on leptin levels, lipid profile and fat percentage in sedentary young men. Sport Sci. 2018;11(1):78–82.

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Metadata

Authors
Sultana, R. N., Sabag, A., Keating, S. E., & Johnson, N. A.
Affiliations
  • The University of Sydney (AU)
  • The University of Queensland (AU)
Corresponding author
  • Sultana, Rachelle N.
  • Johnson, Nathan A.
ORCID
Venue
Sports Medicine
Publisher
Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Published
2019-08-10
Volume
49
Issue
11
Pages
1687-1721
ISSN
  • 0112-1642 (ISSN-L)
  • 1179-2035
DOI
10.1007/s40279-019-01167-w
OpenAlex
W2968860329
Cited by
286
References
163
Citations by year
2026: 35 · 2025: 36 · 2024: 42 · 2023: 62 · 2022: 46 · 2021: 42 · 2020: 21
FWCI
5.60
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
closed
Licence
Locations
  • Sports Medicine (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
Topics
  • Health Sciences › Medicine › Physiology (medical) › Cardiovascular and exercise physiology
  • Health Sciences › Medicine › Orthopedics and Sports Medicine › Sports Performance and Training
  • Health Sciences › Medicine › Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health › Physical Activity and Health
Keywords
high-intensity interval training, body composition, cardiorespiratory fitness, fat mass, body fat percentage, lean body mass, moderate-intensity continuous training, overweight adults, adult obesity, exercise dose, fat oxidation, energy expenditure
MeSH terms
Cardiorespiratory Fitness, High-Intensity Interval Training, Adult, Body Composition, Humans, Obesity, Randomized Controlled Trials as Topic, Overweight, Non-Randomized Controlled Trials as Topic

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