The Effect of Novel High-intensity Interval Training on Physical Fitness in Older Adults

High-intensity interval training (HIT) has been demonstrated to be an effective strategy to improve markers of health and fitness across a wide range of healthy and clinical populations. Currently however, there is only limited evidence which has examined the effectiveness of HIT in older adults (>50 years). HIT is an appealing strategy in this group as it has the potential to impact both cardiorespiratory and muscular fitness, which both play an important role in maintaining functional fitness and quality of life in a time-efficient manner. Developing an understanding of novel strategies for delivering this type of exercise training may ultimately provide a viable alternative to traditional modes of exercise training for a broader range of participants. As such, the purpose of this study is to evaluate the effects of a novel, high-intensity interval training exercise protocol to improve physical fitness in adults aged over 50 years. This research also aims to evaluate if this type of training intervention is feasible in this population, through analysis of adherence and intervention fidelity.

Study Overview

• Status: Completed
• Conditions: High-intensity Interval Training
• Intervention / Treatment: Other: Novel high-intensity interval training

• Study Type: Interventional
• Enrollment (Actual): 36
• Phase: Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

Study Locations

• United Kingdom
  • Tees Valley
    • Middlesbrough, Tees Valley, United Kingdom, TS1 3BA
      • Teesside University

Participation Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

• Ages Eligible for Study: 50 years to 85 years (Adult, Older Adult)
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: Yes
• Genders Eligible for Study: All

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

1. Must be aged 50-85 years
2. Must be able to provide informed consent to participate
3. Must be free from all exclusion criteria

Exclusion Criteria:

1. Symptoms of or known presence of heart disease of major atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease
2. Early family history of sudden cardiac death
3. Condition or injury or co-morbidity affecting the ability to undertake exercise
4. Diabetes mellitus
5. Pregnancy or likelihood of pregnancy

Study Plan

How is the study designed?

Design Details

• Primary Purpose: Prevention
• Allocation: Randomized
• Interventional Model: Parallel Assignment
• Masking: None (Open Label)

Number of Arms

2

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm	Intervention / Treatment
Experimental: Intervention; Participants will undertake a high-intensity interval training intervention, completing two exercise sessions per week for 12 weeks. The exercise sessions will consist of 4 sets of 4-6 repetitions of 60s (45s high-intensity exercise, followed by 15s rest), interspersed with 3 minutes rest. During each exercise repetition participants will be encouraged to reach >90% of their maximal heart rate.	Other: Novel high-intensity interval training
No Intervention: Control; Participants will not undertake any formal intervention and will be asked to maintain their usual physical activity habits and diet.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Change in lower body muscular power	Assessed via Nottingham Leg Extensor Power Rig	Baseline and following exercise training (12 weeks)
Change in Aerobic fitness	Assessed via Chester step test	Baseline and following exercise training (12 weeks)
Change in upper extremity muscular strength	Hand grip strength assessed using handheld dynamometer	Baseline and following exercise training (12 weeks)
Change in quality of life	Assessed via Short form quality of life questionnaire (SF36)	Baseline and following exercise training (12 weeks)

Other Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Time Frame
Heart rate during high-intensity interval training exercise sessions	Up to 12 weeks
Rating of perceived exertion (RPE) during high-intensity interval training exercise sessions	Up to 12 weeks

Collaborators and Investigators

• Sponsor: Teesside University

Study record dates

Study Major Dates

• Study Start: April 1, 2016
• Primary Completion (Actual): August 1, 2016

Study Registration Dates

• First Submitted: March 8, 2016
• First Submitted That Met QC Criteria: March 15, 2016
• First Posted (Estimate): March 21, 2016

Study Record Updates

• Last Update Posted (Estimate): October 18, 2016
• Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria: October 17, 2016
• Last Verified: October 1, 2016

More Information

Terms related to this study

• Keywords: Quality of life; Older adults; High-intensity interval training; Functional fitness
• Other Study ID Numbers: TEES-CH170216-SSSBL