Abstract
Purpose
High-intensity interval training (HIIT) produces significant health benefits. However, the acute physiological responses to HIIT are poorly understood. Therefore, we aimed to measure the acute cardiac autonomic, haemodynamic, metabolic and left ventricular mechanical responses to a single HIIT session.
Methods
Fifty young, healthy participants completed a single HIIT session, comprising of three 30-s maximal exercise intervals on a cycle ergometer, interspersed with 2-min active recovery. Cardiac autonomics, haemodynamics and metabolic variables were measured pre-, during and post-HIIT. Conventional and speckle tracking echocardiography was used to record standard and tissue Doppler measures of left ventricular (LV) structure, function and mechanics pre- and post-HIIT.
Results
Following a single HIIT session, there was significant post-exercise systolic hypotension (126 ± 13 to 111 ± 10 mmHg, p < 0.05), parallel to a significant reduction in total peripheral resistance (1640 ± 365 to 639 ± 177 dyne⋅s⋅cm5, p < 0.001) and significant increases in baroreceptor reflex sensitivity and baroreceptor effectiveness index (9.2 ± 11 to 24.8 ± 16.7 ms⋅mmHg−1 and 41.8 ± 28 to 68.8 ± 16.2, respectively) during recovery compared to baseline. There was also a significant increase in the low- to high-frequency heart rate variability ratio in recovery (0.7 ± 0.48 to 1.7 ± 1, p < 0.001) and significant improvements in left ventricular global longitudinal strain (− 18.3 ± 1.2% to − 29.2 ± 2.3%, p < 0.001), and myocardial twist mechanics (1.27 ± 0.72 to 1.98 ± 0.72°·cm−1, p = 0.028) post-HIIT compared to baseline.
Conclusion
A single HIIT session is associated with acute improvements in autonomic modulation, haemodynamic cardiovascular control and left ventricular function, structure and mechanics. The acute responses to HIIT provide crucial mechanistic information, which may have significant acute and chronic clinical implications.
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Data availability
The sharing of data in an open-access repository was not included in our participants consent. Thus, in accordance with standard ethical practice, data may only be available on request from the corresponding author.
Change history
29 November 2021
Communicated by Massimo Pagani.
Abbreviations
- BEI:
-
Baroreceptor effectiveness index
- BRS:
-
Baroreceptor sensitivity
- BP:
-
Blood pressure
- dBP:
-
Diastolic blood pressure
- EDV:
-
End diastolic volume
- HR:
-
Heart rate
- HRV:
-
Heart rate variability
- HF:
-
High frequency
- HIIT:
-
High-intensity interval training
- LV:
-
Left ventricle
- LF:
-
Low frequency
- MICT:
-
Moderate-intensity continuous training
- RER:
-
Respiratory exchange ratio
- SV:
-
Stroke volume
- sBP:
-
Systolic blood pressure
- TFM:
-
Task force monitor
- TPR:
-
Total peripheral resistance
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Acknowledgements
We thank the participants who volunteered to participate in the study. We also thank Cameron Stevens for his assistance in constructing the central figure.
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This research was approved by the Canterbury Christ Church University Ethics Committee and conformed to the Declaration of Helsinki principles (Ref: 17/SAS/47F).
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Edwards, J.J., Wiles, J.D., Vadaszy, N. et al. Left ventricular mechanical, cardiac autonomic and metabolic responses to a single session of high intensity interval training. Eur J Appl Physiol 122, 383–394 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00421-021-04840-z
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00421-021-04840-z