PMID 34799752

Research
All papers

High-intensity resistance exercise is not as effective as traditional high-intensity interval exercise for increasing the cardiorespiratory response and energy expenditure in recreationally active subjects

Järvinen L, Lundin Petersdotter S, Chaillou T

Question

Do high-intensity resistance exercise circuits match traditional cycling HIIT for acute cardiorespiratory response and energy expenditure?

Summary

In 15 recreationally active adults, an acute cycling HIIT session produced a much stronger cardiorespiratory and aerobic energy-expenditure response than two high-intensity resistance-exercise circuits, even though the resistance sessions produced high lactate and felt demanding.

Methodology

  • Healthy recreationally active young adults with resistance-training experience.
  • 15 participants.
  • Free-weight/bodyweight resistance circuit.
  • Work intervals: 30 s.
  • Recovery: 30 s transition/recovery.
  • Intensity: 40% or 60% 1RM; maximum sustainable repetitions.
  • About 46 min including monitoring.
  • Acute sessions.
  • Single session per condition.
  • Randomized crossover acute exercise comparison
  • VO2 response, Energy expenditure, and Lactate were tracked.

Outcomes

VO2 exposure

Resistance HIIT produced much less time above 90% VO2max than cycling HIIT.

T90%VO2max total: HIIE 785 +/- 191.6 s, HIRE40 47.3 +/- 63.4 s, HIRE60 60.0 +/- 76.0 s; p<0.05.

Safety concern

Heart-rate exposure

Resistance HIIT produced lower mean HR and less high-HR exposure than cycling HIIT.

HRmean about 92.1% HRmax in HIIE versus 86.5% and 88.0% in HIRE.

Safety concern

Aerobic expenditure

Resistance HIIT had lower aerobic energy expenditure than cycling HIIT.

Reported significant between-condition differences, p<0.05.

Safety concern

EPOC

Post-exercise oxygen-consumption energy expenditure was similar across sessions.

No clear change

Insights

  • Use cyclic HIIT when the target is cardiorespiratory load or time near VO2max.
  • Resistance HIIT may be better framed as strength-conditioning with a moderate cardio component.

Limitations

  • Small sample
  • Acute-only outcomes
  • Young active sample
  • Resistance exercise results depend on exercise selection and technique

Safety

  • No adverse events were reported.
  • Four participants could not complete cycling HIIT at 100% Pmax and repeated it at 95% Pmax because of severe exhaustion.