European Journal of Molecular & Clinical Medicine

Abstract

Sprint Interval Training (SIT) has become one of the time-efficient training protocol which capable to improve fitness and health-related measures in healthy as well in overweight individual. The aim of this study was to determine the effects of short term SIT on body mass index (BMI), total body fat percentage, resting heart rate and blood pressure in overweight sedentary women. Eleven women (aged 20.64 ±0.81 years; body mass index, 30.17 (±3.97) kg/m2) participated in this study. After baseline measurement of BMI, total body fat percentage, resting heart rate and blood pressure, participants completed a 2-week SIT intervention, comprising 6 session of 4 to 6 repeats of 30-second Wingate anaerobic sprints protocol on an electromagnetically braked cycle ergometer, with 4-minute recovery time between each repetition. The BMI, total body fat percentage, resting heart rate and blood pressure assessment were repeated as post-intervention. Significant decrease in systolic pressure (108 ± 9.1 vs 112.36 ± 12.5 mm Hg, P .04) and diastolic pressure (74.45 ± 6.4 vs 79.73 ± 10.5 mm Hg, P .03) were observed after the 2-week SIT intervention. No significant changes were found in BMI, total body fat percentage and resting heart rate. Thus, the 2-week of SIT improves both systolic and diastolic blood pressure in sedentary overweight women, highlighting the potential for this short-term intervention as an alternative exercise programme for the improvement the cardio metabolic health in overweight individual.