Moderate exercisers who performed high-intensity interval training (HIIT) while listening to music not only enjoyed the exercise, but also had a positive attitude about performing it again in the future.

HIIT consists of short periods of intense anaerobic exercise separated by less-intense recovery periods. It is distinct from more traditional long-duration aerobic exercise, such as jogging continuously for 50 minutes.

“There has been a lot of discussion in the exercise and public policy worlds about how we can get people off the couch and meeting their minimum exercise requirements,” says Kathleen Martin Ginis, professor of health and exercise sciences at UBC, in a media release from University of British Columbia Okanagan campus. “The use of HIIT may be a viable option to combat inactivity, but there is a concern that people may find HIIT unpleasant, deterring future participation.”

In their study, Ginis and colleague Matthew Stork studied the attitudes of moderate exercisers toward HIIT, which they hadn’t been exposed to before.

They conclude that the first-timers not only had positive attitudes toward HIIT, but that participants also reported feeling more positive about the exercise regimen if they listened to music while they exercised, according to the release.

“Newer research has established that as little as 10 minutes of intense HIIT, three times per week can elicit meaningful heath benefits,” says Stork, a PhD candidate at UBC’s Okanagan campus. “For busy people who may be reluctant to try HIIT for the first time, this research tells us that they can actually enjoy it, and they may be more likely to participate in HIIT again if they try it with music.”

“Our research aims to learn more about people’s perceptions towards HIIT and ultimately determine if people can adhere to these types of exercises in the long term,” Stork adds in the release. “With the introduction of HIIT exercise, people may not necessarily require the dreaded 150-minute weekly total.”

Their study was recently published in the Journal of Sport Sciences.

[Source(s): University of British Columbia Okanagan Campus, Science Daily]