Attenuation of Post-Exercise Energy Intake Following 12 Weeks of Sprint Interval Training in Men and Women with Overweight
Question
Does 12 weeks of need-supportive sprint interval training change post-exercise energy intake and appetite-related responses compared with moderate continuous cycling?
Summary
In inactive adults with overweight or obesity, 12 weeks of supervised cycling sprint interval training paired with psychological need support reduced later snack intake after an acute exercise test. Continuous cycling did not show the same snack-intake reduction, but the study cannot separate the interval format from the need-support coaching.
Methodology
- Physically inactive adults with overweight or obesity
- 36 participants.
- Cycle ergometer sprint intervals.
- Work intervals: 15 s at 170% VO2peak power.
- Recovery: 60 s active recovery at 32% VO2peak power.
- Intensity: 170% VO2peak power for work intervals.
- 30 to 50 min plus 3 min warm-up.
- 3 sessions/week.
- 12 weeks.
- Pair-matched between-subjects intervention with random allocation within matched pairs
- Post-exercise energy intake, Appetite hormones, VO2peak, and Motivation were tracked.
Outcomes
Snack intake
SIT reduced later snack intake after training; MICT did not.
Total snack intake condition x time p = 0.020; unhealthy snack intake p = 0.003; SIT snack energy 807 +/- 550 to 422 +/- 468 kJ, p < 0.05
Immediate meal
Energy intake during the first 30 min meal after acute exercise was unchanged.
No significant change reported for immediate test meal intake
Appetite markers
Fasting hunger, fullness, ghrelin, leptin, and insulin did not differ meaningfully.
No significant condition effects reported for these markers
VO2peak
VO2peak increased over time without a clear group-specific advantage.
Time effect p = 0.026; no group interaction reported
Motivation
Need-supportive SIT produced stronger autonomy/competence support and motivation-related ratings.
SIT showed higher perceived autonomy-support, competence-support, enjoyment, value, competence, and intrinsic motivation change
Insights
- Very short cycling work intervals can be paired with long recoveries and strong autonomy-support coaching.
- Post-exercise eating behavior may be a relevant outcome when designing weight-management HIIT programs.
- Because coaching style differed between groups, do not attribute snack-intake changes to interval structure alone.
Limitations
- Cannot isolate SIT format from psychological need-support coaching
- Predominantly women
- Not powered for sex-specific responses
- COVID-related attrition
- Laboratory snack intake may not reflect free-living eating
Safety
- High attendance was reported and the protocol was described as well tolerated; no specific adverse events were identified in the article text.