The Effects of Interval Running Exercise on Acute Calorie Expenditure

Interval training is getting more attention due to the rapid improvement in fitness and health level. This is so important for the people who have no much time to spend in gym or sports areas. Therefore, burning much more calories in a short time is getting important for these busy people. The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of interval running exercises on acute calorie consumption. Thirteen female and ten male sedentary collegian students （age： 19.48 ± 1.64, height： 171.95 ± 8.14, weight： 65.91 ± 14.69） participated in the current study. All participates performed a steady state running for 30 min with 8 krn/hour speed and interval running （6 km/h and 10 km/h with 1 minute interval） for 30 min on a treadmill on different days. Their calorie expenditure and other related gas parameters were measured with a mobile gas analyzer. The paired t-test was used to compare two protocols for the whole group. Moreover, the Wilcoxon test was used to measure in order to detect significant differences between steady state and interval running protocols for male and female groups. The results showed that there was no significant difference in calorie consumption, CO2 production and RER values, while the only difference was observed in O2 cost （p 〈 0.01） and heart rate in the whole, male and female groups （p 〈 0.05）. As a conclusion, it was seen that interval running caused no more calorie expenditure than the classical steady state running acutely. Therefore, calorie burning may be delayed. There is a need for further study in this area.

How does high-intensity intermittent training affect recreational endurance runners? Acute and chronic adaptations: A systematic review

Objective: This systematic review aimed to critically analyze the literature to determine how high-intensity intermittent training(HIIT) affects recreational endurance runners in the short-and long-term.Methods: Electronic databases were searched for literature dating from January 2000 to October 2015. The search was conducted using the key words "high-intensity intermittent training" or "high-intensity interval exercise" or "interval running" or "sprint interval training" and "endurance runners" or "long distance runners". A systematic approach was used to evaluate the 783 articles identified for initial review. Studies were included if they investigated HIIT in recreational endurance runners. The methodological quality of the studies was evaluated using the Physiotherapy Evidence Database(PEDro) scale(for intervention studies) and the modified Downs and Black Quality Index(for cross-sectional studies).Results: Twenty-three studies met the inclusionary criteria for review. The results are presented in 2 parts: cross-sectional(n = 15) and intervention studies(n = 8). In the 15 cross-sectional studies selected, endurance runners performed at least 1 HIIT protocol, and the acute impact on physiological, neuromuscular, metabolic and/or biomechanical variables was assessed. Intervention studies lasted a minimum of 4 weeks, with 10 weeks being the longest intervention period, and included 2 to 4 HIIT sessions per week. Most of these studies combined HIIT sessions with continuous run(CR) sessions; 2 studies' subjects performed HIIT exclusively.Conclusion: HIIT-based running plans(2 to 3 HIIT sessions per week, combining HIIT and CR runs) show athletic performance improvements in endurance runners by improving maximal oxygen uptake and running economy along with muscular and metabolic adaptations. To maximize the adaptations to training, both HIIT and CR must be part of training programs for endurance runners.