The effects of 18 months of intermittent vs continuous exercise on aerobic capacity, body weight and composition, and metabolic fitness in previously sedentary, moderately obese females

OBJECTIVES: To compare the effects of 18 months of continuous vs intermittent exercise on aerobic capacity, body weight and composition, and metabolic fitness in previously sedentary, moderately obese females. DESIGN: Randomized, prospective, long-term cohort study. Subjects performed continuous exercise at 60-75% of maximum aerobic capacity, 3 days per week, 30 min per session, or exercised intermittently using brisk walking for two, 15 min sessions, 5 days per week. MEASURES: Aerobic capacity, body weight, body composition, and metabolic fitness (blood pressure, lipids, glucose and insulin). RESULTS: Significant improvements for aerobic capacity of 8% and 6% were shown for the continuous and intermittent exercise groups, respectively. Weight loss for the continuous exercise group was significant at 2.1% from baseline weight and the intermittent group was essentially unchanged. The continuous group showed a significant decrease in percentage of body fat and fat weight while the intermittent group did not. HDL cholesterol and insulin were significantly improved for both groups. CONCLUSIONS: In previously sedentary, moderately obese females, continuous or intermittent exercise performed long-term may be effective for preventing weight gain and for improving some measures of metabolic fitness.