The arrangement of short exercise intervals protocols influences the amount of carbohydrate oxidation in inactive overweight adult men: Pilot study

Objectives

The aim of this research is to explore the influence of different exercise protocols on carbohydrate oxidation.

Design

Uncontrolled experimental study.

Methods

They recruited ten inactive male subjects, 30–39 years old, with elevated body mass index (BMI). Each participant was evaluated in four separate sessions. First session consisted in determining peak aerobic power (pAP), following sessions participants realized three equivalent exercise protocols; each one consisted of three bouts of 15-min exercise separated by 5 min. Constant intensity protocol (CIP) included exercise at 55% of pAP, while the other (increasing and decreasing) consisted in exercise at 40%, 55% and 70% of pAP in an increasing or decreasing order respectively.

Results

IIP (increasing intensity protocol) causes a progressive increase in carbohydrate oxidation comparative to DIP (decreasing intensity protocol and CIP protocols (p ≤ 0.01). In the third period of protocol IIP oxidized significantly more carbohydrate than the other two.

Conclusions

Carbohydrate oxidation in exercises at intervals of different intensity depends on the order of these periods, being greater when performed increasingly, being more useful for sedentary subjects with insulin resistance and diabetes mellitus. This approach undoubtedly enhances patient adherence and reduces the perception of effort when compared to continuous exercise routines.