The Acute Physiological and Perceptual Responses Between Bodyweight and Treadmill Running High-Intensity Interval Exercises

ObjectiveThe purpose of this study was to compare the acute physiological, perceptual, and enjoyment responses between bodyweight high-intensity interval exercise (BW-HIIE) and treadmill running high-intensity interval exercise HIIE (RUN-HIIE). MethodsTwelve adults [age: 29.5 +/- 5.3 years; weight: 70.9 +/- 15.0 kg; height: 167.9 +/- 8.9 cm; peak oxygen consumption (VO2 peak): 48.7 +/- 6.5 ml min(-1)center dot kg(-1)] performed both RUN-HIIE and BW-HIIE. RUN-HIIE consisted of two sets of 5, 60-s (s) run intervals at 100% of the speed achieved during VO2 peak testing followed by 60s of walking at 4.02 km/h. BW-HIIE consisted of two sets of 5, 60s 'all-out' effort calisthenic exercises followed by 60s of marching in place at 100 steps per minute. Oxygen consumption (VO2), blood lactate (B-lac), heart rate (HR), and rating of perceived exertion (RPE) were measured during exercise. Physical activity enjoyment (PACES) was assessed post-exercise. Creatine Kinase (CK) was measured before exercise and 48-h post-exercise. Muscle soreness was assessed before exercise, post-exercise, and 48-h post-exercise. ResultsOxygen consumption relative to VO2 peak was higher (p < 0.001) during RUN-HIIE (88 +/- 3%) compared to BW-HIIE (77 +/- 4%). HR relative to HRpeak was higher (p = 0.002) for RUN-HIIE (93 +/- 1%) compared to BW-HIIE (88 +/- 2%). B-lac was higher (p < 0.001) after BW-HIIE (11.2 +/- 3.2 mmol/l) compared to RUN-HIIE (6.9 +/- 2.0 mmol/l). Average RPE achieved was higher (p = 0.003) during BW-HIIE (16 +/- 2) than RUN-HIIE (14 +/- 2). PACES was similar for RUN-HIIE and BW-HIIE (p > 0.05). No differences (p > 0.05) in CK were observed between RUN-HIIE and BW-HIIE. ConclusionOur results indicate 'all-out' calisthenic exercise can elicit vigorous cardiorespiratory, B-lac, and RPE responses. Implementing this style of exercise into training requires minimal space, no equipment, and may elicit cardiometabolic adaptations seen with traditional forms of high-intensity exercise.