Body composition, cardiorespiratory fitness, and neuromuscular adaptations induced by a home-based whole-body high intensity interval training

• Published in: Journal of exercise science and fitness 2023-04, Vol.21 (2), p.226-236
• Main Authors: Scoubeau, Corentin, Carpentier, Julie, Baudry, Stéphane, Faoro, Vitalie, Klass, Malgorzata
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: First ventilatory threshold; Muscle endurance; Muscle strength; Original; VO2peak; Voluntary activation
• ISSN: 1728-869X; 2226-5104
• DOI: 10.1016/j.jesf.2023.02.004

Bodyweight exercises performed at home could be a complementary approach to improve health-related fitness in people having little spare time and during stay-at-home periods. This study then investigated body composition, cardiorespiratory fitness, and neuromuscular adaptations to a home-based, video-directed, whole-body high-intensity interval training (WB-HIIT). Fourteen subjects participated to an 8-week WB-HIIT (6 females, 23 ± 1 years) and fourteen were included in a non-exercise control group (CTL; 6 females, 24 ± 4 years). All took part to pre- and post-intervention assessments of body composition, peak oxygen uptake (VO2peak) and first ventilatory threshold (VT1; index of aerobic capacity), dynamic (leg press 3-repetition maximum) and isometric strength (knee extensors maximal isometric contractions with assessment of voluntary activation), and muscle endurance during an isometric submaximal contraction maintained till exhaustion. WB-HIIT consisted in 30-s all-out whole-body exercises interspaced with 30 s of active recovery. Training sessions were performed at home by means of videos with demonstration of exercises. Heart rate was monitored during sessions. WB-HIIT increased VO2peak (5%), VT1 (20%), leg lean mass (3%), dynamic (13%) and isometric strength (6%), and muscle endurance (28%; p