Effect of brief intense stair climbing on cardiorespiratory fitness and metabolic risk factors in inactive young men with obesity: A randomized controlled trial.

Abstract

Background and aim: We investigated the effects of brief, intense stair climbing on cardiorespiratory fitness (CRF) and cardiometabolic risk factors in young Korean men with obesity.

Methods and results: Twenty-four healthy men (age: 25.8 ± 2.4 years, BMI: 27.1 ± 2.5 kg/m²) were randomized into either the stair climbing exercise group (n = 12) or the control group (no exercise intervention, n = 12). The stair climbing exercise (5 days per week for 4 weeks) included a 3-min warm-up, followed by three 20-s bouts of vigorous stair climbing [≥80 % of age-predicted maximal heart rate (MHR)], with 2-min of recovery in between. Peak oxygen uptake (VO_2peak) and body composition were measured by maximal treadmill test and bioelectrical impedance analysis, respectively. A fasting blood sample was obtained after a 10-h overnight fast to measure cardiometabolic markers. All participants completed the study and attended 97.1 % of all scheduled exercise sessions. There was significant group x time effect on CRF, such that the stair climbing exercise group had significant improvements in VO_2peak (pre: 38.7 ± 5.2 versus post: 41.6 ± 5.7 ml/kg/min, P < 0.01) and exercise duration (pre: 10.4 ± 1.8 versus post: 12.1 ± 1.9 min, P < 0.01) during a maximal treadmill test, but with decreases in VO_2peak and no change in the exercise duration the control group. Body weight, body fat and metabolic variables were unchanged after stair climbing exercise.

Conclusion: Brief, intense stair climbing with a total time commitment of 10 min per day is effective for improving VO_2peak in young men with obesity.

Clinical trial registration: KCT0008139.