SYSTEMATIC REVIEW article
Front. Physiol.
Sec. Exercise Physiology
Effects of High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT) on Cardiopulmonary Fitness and Physical Function in Middle-aged and Elderly Women : A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis
Provisionally accepted
- 1North China Electric Power University, Beijing, China
- 2Beijing Sport University, Beijing, China
- 3Exercise and Sports Science Programme, School of Health Sciences, Universiti Sains Malaysia, Minden Heights, Malaysia
- 4College of Physical Education and Health Sciences, Zhejiang Normal University, Jinhua, China
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Background: To systematically evaluate the effects of high-intensity interval tr aining (HIIT) on cardiorespiratory fitness and physical function in middle-aged and older women. Methods: PubMed, Web of Science, and Scopus were searched from inception to November 2025. Randomized controlled trials comparing HIIT with control i nterventions in middle-aged and older women were included. Random-effects m eta-analyses were performed. Primary outcomes were maximal or peak oxygen uptake (VO₂max/VO₂peak) and physical or functional performance measures. Results: Nineteen randomized controlled trials were included. Meta-analysis sho wed that HIIT significantly improved VO₂max compared with control interventi ons (SMD = 1.20, 95% CI 0.86–1.54, I² = 31%), with high certainty of evide nce. No significant effect was observed for VO₂peak (SMD = 0.23, 95% CI − 0.23 to 0.69). HIIT did not significantly improve muscle strength (SMD = −0. 17, 95% CI −1.04 to 0.70), though strength assessments were not always speci fic to the muscle groups trained, flexibility, or sit-to-stand performance. Walkin g ability showed a borderline significant improvement (SMD = 0.49, 95% CI 0.00–0.97), with very low certainty of evidence. Subgroup analyses indicated c onsistent VO₂max improvements across age groups, body mass status, and inter vention durations. Conclusions: HIIT significantly improves cardiorespiratory fitness in middle-age d and older women but shows limited effects on physical function. HIIT alone is insufficient to comprehensively improve functional performance.
Keywords: High-intensity interval training, Meta-analysis, Older women, physical function, VO2max
Received: 30 Dec 2025; Accepted: 13 Feb 2026.
Copyright: © 2026 Cai, Guo, Zhang, GU, Zhao, Wu, Yu and Chen. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence:
Jintao Guo
Si Chen
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