Effects of high-intensity interval rope-skipping on cardiorespiratory fitness, body composition, and enjoyment in young adults.

Background/objective: Rope skipping is a cost-effective, moderate-to-vigorous-intensity aerobic exercise. While high-intensity interval exercise (HIIE) and moderate-intensity continuous exercise (MICE) are known to improve cardiorespiratory fitness (CRF) in labs, their effects in free-living conditions with rope skipping in young adults are unclear. The purpose of the study was to examine the effects of HIIE and MICE using rope skipping on CRF, body composition, and enjoyment in young adults.

Subjects/methods: Fifty-nine healthy adults (29 females; aged 21.7 ± 2.5 years) were randomly assigned to HIIE (9 × 2-min bouts at 80% HRmax with 1-min active recovery), MICE (30-min at 70% HRmax), or a non-exercise control group (CONT). HIIE sessions occurred three times weekly, MICE five times weekly, over 8 weeks. Maximal oxygen uptake (a measure of CRF) was assessed both before and after the intervention. Enjoyment was evaluated using the Physical Activity Enjoyment Scale following the first and final sessions.

Results: After 8 weeks, both HIIE [48.4 (43.9, 52.9) mL/kg/min; mean (95%CI)] and MICE [47.2 (43.1, 51.1) mL/kg/min] groups showed significantly better CRF than pretest [43.8 (38.8, 48.8) mL/kg/min, p < 0.001, and 42.2 (38.1, 46.2) mL/kg/min, p < 0.001, respectively] and the CONT group [39.9 (37.0, 42.8) mL/kg/min, p < 0.001, η²p = 0.595]. Body composition did not differ among or within groups. Enjoyment levels also did not differ between or within exercise groups.

Conclusion: HIIE and MICE using rope skipping similarly enhanced CRF and provided comparable enjoyment in young adults. HIIE could be a time-efficient alternative to MICE for those with limited exercise time.

Clinical trial registration: TCTR20220314004, thaiclinicaltrials.org.