AUTHOR=Sagelv Edvard H. , Hammer Tord , Hamsund Tommy , Rognmo Kamilla , Pettersen Svein Arne , Pedersen Sigurd 

TITLE=High Intensity Long Interval Sets Provides Similar Enjoyment as Continuous Moderate Intensity Exercise. The Tromsø Exercise Enjoyment Study

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Psychology

VOLUME=10

YEAR=2019

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/psychology/articles/10.3389/fpsyg.2019.01788

DOI=10.3389/fpsyg.2019.01788

ISSN=1664-1078

ABSTRACT=<sec><title>Objective</title><p>High intensity interval exercise sessions with interval sets over 3 min may provide superior cardiorespiratory fitness benefits. To our knowledge, the exercise enjoyment of interval sets over 3 min is not yet elucidated. The aim of this study was to examine exercise enjoyment following one session with four intervals of 4 min high intensity exercise (HIIE) versus one session of 45 min moderate intensity continuous exercise (CE) in iso-caloric conditions using a randomized crossover design.</p></sec><sec><title>Methods</title><p>Seven young healthy participants were recruited to undergo two different exercise sessions in a randomized order: (1) 4 × 4 min intervals at &gt;90% of maximum heart rate (HR<sub><italic>max</italic></sub>) with 3 min of rest between interval sets, and (2) 45 min CE at 70% of HR<sub><italic>max</italic></sub>. Peak oxygen uptake and HR<sub><italic>max</italic></sub> were evaluated prior to the experiment. The participants reported their perceived exercise enjoyment using the 18-item physical activity enjoyment scale (PACES) questionnaire and their rating of perceived exertion (RPE) using Borg’s 6–20 scale.</p></sec><sec><title>Results</title><p>There was no difference in the PACES score between the high intensity interval exercise session [median: 95.5 (inter-quartile range: 21.8)] and the moderate intensity CE session [91.0 (13.5), <italic>p</italic> = 0.36, <italic>r</italic> = −0.22]. The participants reported a higher RPE in the high intensity interval exercise session [16.5 (2.0)] compared with the CE session [9.0 (2.0), <italic>p</italic> = 0.01, <italic>r</italic> = −0.88].</p></sec><sec><title>Conclusion</title><p>Similar exercise enjoyment was reported following four high intensity intervals of 4 min compared with a moderate intensity CE session in this randomized crossover study with iso-caloric conditions. If enjoyment is a mediating factor for engaging in exercise, one should expect a similar probability of exercise adherence following high intensity 4 min intervals and continuous moderate intensity exercise when prescribing aerobic exercise as preventive medicine.</p></sec>