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ORIGINAL RESEARCH article
Front. Physiol.
Sec. Exercise Physiology
Volume 16 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/fphys.2025.1527171
This article is part of the Research Topic Responses and Adaptations to Novel Exercise Modalities View all 10 articles
Impact of exercise video-guided bodyweight interval training on psychophysiological outcomes in inactive adults with obesity Remotely instructed bodyweight interval training for adults with obesity
Provisionally accepted
Gabriella Francesca Bellissimo 1,2*
Alyssa Bailly 2
Kelsey Bourbeau 3
Christine Mermier 2
Anthony Campitelli 1 Quint Berkemeier 2 Jonathan Specht 2
Jessica Smith 4
Jeremy Ducharme 2
Matthew Jordan Stork 5
Jonathan Peter Little 5
Len Kravitz 2 Flávio de Castro Magalhães 2
A Gibson 2
Fabiano T Amorim 2- 1 College of Idaho, Caldwell, United States
- 2 University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, New Mexico, United States
- 3 University of Northern Iowa, Cedar Falls, Iowa, United States
- 4 SUNY Oneonta, Oneonta, New York, United States
- 5 University of British Columbia, Okanagan Campus, Kelowna, British Columbia, Canada
Purpose: Determine the impact of a 6-week YouTube-instructed bodyweight interval training (BW-IT) program on cardiometabolic health, muscular strength, and factors related to exercise adherence in adults with obesity. Methods: Fourteen adults (30.7 ± 10.3 yrs., BMI 35.5 ± 5.4 kg/m 2 ) participated. The BW-IT program progressed bi-weekly from a 1:3 to 1:1 work-to-rest ratio, using maximum effort intervals of high knees, squat jumps, scissor jacks, jumping lunges, and burpees. Pre-and postintervention measures included peak oxygen consumption (V ̇O2peak), relative quadriceps isometric muscular strength, waist circumference (WC), body composition via bioelectrical impedance, and cardiometabolic blood markers (blood glucose, insulin, lipid panel, and Creactive protein). Self-efficacy (task and scheduling) and physical activity enjoyment (PACES) were also assessed. Results: Relative isometric muscular strength increased by 12.5% (p=0.02, dz 0.4) and absolute V ̇O2peak by 4.2% (p =0.03, dz=0.2). WC reduced by 2.1% (p < 0.001, dz = 0.2). Self-efficacy task was similar pre-to post-intervention (p = 0.53, dz=0.2), while scheduling was reduced (p < 0.004, dz = 1.1). PACES scores were 9.6% higher week 1 compared to week 6 of BW-IT (p=0.003, dz =0.6). No changes occurred in body composition or cardiometabolic blood markers.In previously inactive adults with obesity, 18 sessions of YouTube-instructed bodyweight interval training elicited small to moderate effects on lower extremity muscular strength, cardiorespiratory fitness, and waist circumference. Future studies may benefit from
Keywords: Bodyweight exercise, Interval training, Obesity, cardiorespiratory fitness, Muscular strength, enjoyment, self-efficacy
Received: 12 Nov 2024; Accepted: 03 Mar 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 Bellissimo, Bailly, Bourbeau, Mermier, Campitelli, Berkemeier, Specht, Smith, Ducharme, Stork, Little, Kravitz, de Castro Magalhães, Gibson and Amorim. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence:
Gabriella Francesca Bellissimo, College of Idaho, Caldwell, United States
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