Effects of Different High-Intensity Interval Training Protocols on Physiological and Skeletal Muscle Adaptations in Healthy Young Men
This study investigated the effects of different high-intensity interval training protocols on physical fitness and physiological adaptations in healthy young men.
Participants underwent a two-week exercise training program consisting of six sessions performed three times per week. Four training protocols were investigated, differing in exercise intensity, duration of exercise bouts, and recovery periods.
The primary outcome was the change in maximal oxygen uptake (VO2max), an indicator of aerobic fitness. Additional assessments included cognitive performance, measured using tests of attention, processing speed, and inhibitory control, as well as selected physiological and skeletal muscle adaptations.
The study aimed to improve understanding of how different high-intensity interval training protocols influence aerobic fitness and other physiological responses over a short training period.
Study Overview
Status
Conditions
Detailed Description
High-intensity interval training (HIIT) and sprint interval training (SIT) are exercise strategies characterized by repeated bouts of vigorous or maximal exercise interspersed with recovery periods. These training approaches may induce physiological adaptations within relatively short intervention periods. However, the effects of different combinations of exercise duration, intensity, and recovery time on aerobic fitness, cognitive performance, and skeletal muscle adaptations require further investigation.
This interventional study examined physiological responses to four cycling-based high-intensity training protocols in healthy young men. Participants completed six training sessions over two weeks, with three sessions performed each week.
The investigated protocols included:
SIT10:1: Repeated 10-second maximal cycling sprints separated by 60-second recovery periods.
SIT10:4: Repeated 10-second maximal cycling sprints separated by 240-second recovery periods.
HIIT90:180: Six 90-second cycling intervals performed at 80% of maximal aerobic power, separated by 180-second passive recovery periods.
Wingate-SIT: Repeated 30-second all-out cycling sprints using a Wingate-based protocol.
The primary outcome was the change in maximal oxygen uptake (VO2max), assessed using incremental exercise testing before and after the intervention. Additional assessments included cognitive performance using the Stroop Color-Word Test, Trail Making Test, and Digit Span Test, as well as selected measures of exercise performance and skeletal muscle metabolic adaptations.
Skeletal muscle biopsies were collected from subsets of participants before and after training to investigate exercise-induced adaptations in muscle tissue. Stored biopsy samples were subsequently used for exploratory proteomic analyses.
The study was designed to characterize short-term physiological and skeletal muscle responses to different high-intensity interval exercise protocols.
Study Type
Enrollment (Actual)
Phase
- Not Applicable
Contacts and Locations
Study Locations
-
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Pomeranian
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Gdansk, Pomeranian, Poland, 80-336
- Gdansk University of Physical Education and Sport
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-
Participation Criteria
Eligibility Criteria
Ages Eligible for Study
Accepts Healthy Volunteers
Genders Eligible for Study
Description
Inclusion Criteria:
Healthy adult males. Physically active individuals. Ability to perform high-intensity cycling exercise. Willingness to participate in the two-week training intervention and complete the required assessments.
Provision of written informed consent.
Exclusion Criteria:
Known cardiovascular, respiratory, metabolic, or neurological disorders that could affect exercise performance or participant safety.
Musculoskeletal injuries or conditions preventing participation in high-intensity cycling exercise.
Medical contraindications to maximal exercise testing or sprint interval training.
Study Plan
How is the study designed?
Design Details
- Primary Purpose: Basic Science
- Allocation: Non-Randomized
- Interventional Model: Parallel Assignment
- Masking: None (Open Label)
Arms and Interventions
Participant Group / Arm |
Intervention / Treatment |
|---|---|
|
Experimental: SIT10:1 - Short-Recovery Sprint Interval Training
Participants completed a two-week cycling sprint interval training program comprising six sessions (three sessions per week). The protocol involved repeated 10-second maximal cycling sprints separated by 60-second recovery intervals. |
A two-week cycling sprint interval training intervention consisting of six sessions performed three times per week. Participants performed repeated 10-second maximal cycling sprints interspersed with 60-second recovery intervals. |
|
Experimental: SIT10:4 - Long-Recovery Sprint Interval Training
Participants completed a two-week cycling sprint interval training program comprising six sessions (three sessions per week). The protocol involved repeated 10-second maximal cycling sprints separated by 240-second recovery intervals. |
A two-week cycling sprint interval training intervention consisting of six sessions performed three times per week. Participants performed repeated 10-second maximal cycling sprints interspersed with 240-second recovery intervals. |
|
Experimental: HIIT90:180 - High-Intensity Interval Training
Participants completed a two-week high-intensity interval cycling program consisting of six supervised training sessions (three sessions per week). Each session included six 90-second cycling bouts performed at 80% of maximal aerobic power, separated by 180-second passive recovery intervals. Exercise cadence was maintained at approximately 60 revolutions per minute. |
A two-week cycling high-intensity interval training intervention comprising six supervised sessions performed three times per week. Each session consisted of six 90-second exercise bouts at 80% of maximal aerobic power, separated by 180-second passive recovery intervals. Cycling cadence was approximately 60 revolutions per minute. |
|
Experimental: Wingate-SIT - Wingate-Based Sprint Interval Training
Participants completed a two-week sprint interval training program comprising six cycling sessions (three sessions per week). The intervention consisted of repeated 30-second all-out cycling sprints performed using a Wingate-based protocol, with recovery periods between successive efforts. |
A two-week cycling sprint interval training intervention comprising six sessions performed three times per week. Participants performed repeated 30-second all-out cycling sprints using a Wingate-based protocol, with recovery intervals between successive sprints. |
What is the study measuring?
Primary Outcome Measures
Outcome Measure |
Measure Description |
Time Frame |
|---|---|---|
|
Change in Maximal Oxygen Uptake (VO2max)
Time Frame: Baseline and after the 2-week training intervention
|
Change in maximal oxygen uptake (VO2max), expressed in mL/kg/min, assessed using an incremental exercise test before and after the two-week training intervention. |
Baseline and after the 2-week training intervention
|
Secondary Outcome Measures
Outcome Measure |
Measure Description |
Time Frame |
|---|---|---|
|
Change in Cognitive Performance
Time Frame: Baseline and after the 2-week training intervention
|
Changes in cognitive performance assessed using the Stroop Color-Word Test (inhibitory control), Trail Making Test (processing speed and executive function), and Digit Span Test (working memory), before and after the two-week training intervention. |
Baseline and after the 2-week training intervention
|
|
Change in Skeletal Muscle Oxidative Enzyme Activity
Time Frame: Baseline and after the 2-week training intervention
|
Changes in skeletal muscle oxidative enzyme activity assessed in biopsy samples collected before and after the two-week training intervention. Muscle biopsies were performed in a subset of participants who provided additional informed consent for the procedure. |
Baseline and after the 2-week training intervention
|
Collaborators and Investigators
Study record dates
Study Major Dates
Study Start (Actual)
Primary Completion (Actual)
Study Completion (Actual)
Study Registration Dates
First Submitted
First Submitted That Met QC Criteria
First Posted (Actual)
Study Record Updates
Last Update Posted (Actual)
Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria
Last Verified
More Information
Terms related to this study
Keywords
Additional Relevant MeSH Terms
Other Study ID Numbers
- AWFiS/2026_5_RL
Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)
Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?
IPD Plan Description
Individual participant data will not be made publicly available due to participant confidentiality considerations and the absence of a data-sharing plan in the original study protocol.
Drug and device information, study documents
Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product
Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product
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