Body Weight-Based Interval Training in Sedentary Overweight and Obese Adults

The Effect of Interval Training Using Body Weight on Body Composition in Sedentary Overweight and Obese Adults

Body-weight based interval training (IT) performed 3 times per week will lead to reductions in abdominal adiposity and reduce overall body fat percentage in overweight and obese sedentary adults more effectively than moderate intensity continuous training (MICT). Body-weight interval training will improve exercise capacity (peak VO2) in overweight/obese adults.

Participants will be randomly assigned to one of the two home-based exercise groups.

The MICT group is the standard care group and will be instructed to walk for 30 minutes, 5 days per week at a moderate intensity. The goal is to accumulate 150 minutes of continuous aerobic exercise each week. Participants will be instructed on the use of the Rating of Perceived Exertion (RPE) scale during baseline testing and will be instructed to reach an RPE of 12-16. A heart rate monitor will be worn to monitor exercise intensity. Heart rate should reach ~70% of maximal heart rate.

The IT group will perform 5 body-weight exercises in three progressive phases. During the first 2 weeks the circuit will be completed twice, 30 second intervals, 90 seconds of rest. The exercises will be performed on 3 days of the week with at least one day of rest between exercise days (ideally Monday, Wednesday, Friday). The number of repetitions will increase to a maximum of 4 while the interval and rest periods increase to a maximum of 45 seconds each. The total time spent performing intervals by week 8 will be 15 minutes. A 2 minute warm up and 3 minute cool down will be performed, such as jumping jacks or simply walking. A heart rate monitor will be used to measure exercise intensity. Heart rate should reach approximately 90% of heart rate max during the intervals. Participants will be instructed on the use of the Rating of Perceived Exertion scale during baseline testing and will be instructed to reach an RPE of ≥17 during the high intensity intervals.

Inclusion Criteria:

• Adults 18-65 years of age
• Willing and able to provide informed consent
• Sedentary, overweight and obese adults (<90 minutes of moderate intensity exercise)
• BMI 25≤35
• Able to safely begin an exercise program
• Have a smartphone, and willing and able to download and use the Fitbit app

Exclusion Criteria:

• Unable to provide informed consent.
• Known cardiovascular disease, or uncontrolled hypertension,
• Diagnosed type 1 or 2 diabetes
• Women who are pregnant or plan to become pregnant in the next 3-4 months
• Orthopedic injury/limitation or any other contraindications to exercise.
• Medications that cause weight gain (steroids, HIV-related medications, etc.), or glucose lowering medications