The Effects of Prescribed and Self-Paced High-Intensity Interval Exercise on Affective and Enjoyment Responses in Adults with Overweight-to-Obesity

Affective responses (pleasure or displeasure feelings) to high-intensity interval exercise (HIIE) are dependent on the intensity of the work-interval phases, but current evidence is limited to the prescribed-based HIIE protocol (P-HIIE) in overweight and obese adults. The influence of the self-paced HIIE protocol (S-HIIE) on perceptual responses (affective, enjoyment, and perceived exertion) is currently unclear.

This study examined perceptual responses to S-HIIE and P-HIIE in adults overweight and with obesity.

Twenty-four overweight and obese men and women (8 men and 16 women; mean ± SD: age = 26.7 ± 0.3 years; body mass index= 26.9 ± 3.7 kg.m-2) were randomized to P-HIIE (n=12; 6×1-min work-intervals at 90% of maximal aerobic speed) or S-HIIE (n=12; 6×1-min work-intervals at self-paced intensity) groups. P-HIIE and S-HIIE work intervals were separated by 75 s recovery. Perceptual responses were recorded before (affective), during (affective and perceived exertion), and after (enjoyment) all conditions.

S-HIIE elicited greater affect responses across all work intervals compared to P-HIIE (all P < 0.03, all effect size (ES) > 0.66), but no post-enjoyment differences were evident in both conditions (P=0.42, ES=0.40). Perceived exertion was significantly greater during P-HIIE compared to S-HIIE at work intervals 1 to 3 (all P < 0.04, all ES > 0.58).

Despite a similar post-enjoyment in both HIIE conditions, S-HIIE could offer superiority to the P-HIIE, which brings significantly greater affective responses for the entire work interval phase, suggesting the viability of this protocol for health strategy promotion in overweight and obese adults.