Main content
Six weeks of sprint interval training improves body composition in healthy young males
- Fergus Guppy
- Rhys Thatcher
- Joanne Wallace
Date created: | Last Updated:
: DOI | ARK
Creating DOI. Please wait...
Category: Project
Description: Exercise plays a key role in improving body composition and bone health. This study aims to look at the effects of a sprint interval training (SIT) programme, on markers of skeletal health and body composition measured by daul-energy x-ray absorptiometry (DXA). Twenty-eight participants (24.4 ± 6.7 y; 1.77 ± 0.09 m; 79.0 ± 14.5 kg; 25.0 ± 2.8 kgm-2) were randomly assigned, into either the SIT or control condition. All participants made a single fasted visit to the laboratory, pre-and post a 6 week SIT intervention, where they underwent a whole body, proximal femur and lumbar spine DXA scan. SIT caused significant reductions in sub-total (-1.08 kg) and lower limb (-0.50 kg) fat mass, as well as on upper- (-1.26%) and lower-limb (-1.70%) percentage fat mass compared with non-exercising controls (0.26, 0.00 kg; -0.15, -0.28 %). There were no significant changes in any bone measures, but trends were observed for differences in femoral neck BMD (1.75%), total proximal femur BMC (5.79%) and area (4.81%) following SIT compared to the control group (-1.51, 0.05, 0.36%). This study showed that SIT is a potent method of reducing fat mass, as well as a potential as a method for improving bone mass.