Effects of a 6-Week Upper Extremity Low-Volume, High-Intensity Interval Training Program on Oxygen Uptake, Peak Power Output, and Total Exercise Time

ABSTRACTPinto, N, Salassi III, JW, Donlin, A, Schroeder, J, and Rozenek, R. Effects of a 6-week upper extremity low-volume, high-intensity interval training program on oxygen uptake, peak power output, and total exercise time. J Strength Cond Res 33(5)1295–1304, 2019—The purpose of this study was to compare the effects of upper extremity (UE) high-intensity interval training (HIIT) to UE continuous training (CT) when training at a similar intensity. Twenty participants (mean age = 23 ± 3 years) were randomly assigned to either a HIIT (n = 10) or CT (n = 10) group. Participants completed a graded exercise test (GXT) utilizing arm cranking before and after 6 weeks (2 sessions per week) of UE training. During sessions, HIIT performed 10 repetitions of 60 seconds of work at 92.3 ± 1.0% of the arm HRpeak (%aHRpeak) and 60 seconds of passive recovery (%aHRpeak = 73.0 ± 4.0%) yielding an average training intensity of 82.6 ± 1.5 %aHRpeak. CT exercised for 20 minutes at an average intensity of 81.9 ± 2.2 %aHRpeak. After training, HIIT showed greater improvement in V[Combining Dot Above]O2peak compared with CT (Δ = 4.1 ml·min·kg, 95% confidence interval [CI]1.3–6.9 m·min·kg, p = 0.007). Total exercise time during the posttest GXT was also improved as a result of HIIT (Δ = 1.4 minutes, 95% CI0.4–2.3 minutes, p = 0.008). Both groups improved peak power output, but no difference was observed between them (Δ = 3.3 W, 95% CI−3.3 to 9.9 W, p = 0.305). For a similar time investment, HIIT seemed to improve measures of cardiopulmonary capacity and exercise time to a greater extent than CT and may be a time-efficient alternative for those who incorporate UE aerobic activity into a training program.