Impact of an 8-Week High-Intensity Bodyweight Interval Training on Body Composition and Blood Lipid Metabolism in Young Women with Overweight

Emre Yamaner¹Tuna Turğut²Ayşe Aksoy¹Burhan Demirkıran³Mine Akkuş Uçar⁴Burhan Başoğlu⁵Furkan Çamiçi⁶Muhammed Said Yanar⁷Alpay Bülbül⁸Ahmet Ferdi Koç⁷Tülay CEYLAN⁹Levent CEYLAN^6*Hamza Küçük¹⁰

• ¹Sungurlu Vocational School of Higher Education, Hitit University,, Çorum, Türkiye
• ²Faculty of Sports Sciences, Bartın University, Bartın, Türkiye
• ³Faculty of Sports Science, Akdeniz University, Antalya, Antalya, Türkiye
• ⁴School of Physical Education and Sports, Mardin Artuklu University, Mardin, Türkiye
• ⁵Faculty of Sports Science, Nevşehir Hacı Bektaş Veli University, Nevşehir, Türkiye
• ⁶Faculty of Sport Sciences, Hitit University, Corum, Türkiye
• ⁷Osmaniye Korkut Ata University, Osmaniye, Türkiye
• ⁸Adnan Menderes University, Aydın, Aydın, Türkiye
• ⁹Ondokuz Mayıs University, Graduate Education Institute, Samsun, Samsun, Türkiye
• ¹⁰Yasar Doğu Faculty of Sport Sciences, Ondokuz Mayıs University, Samsun, Samsun, Türkiye

Background: A physically inactive lifestyle is associated with an increased risk of obesity, dyslipidemia and metabolic disorders, especially in women. While high-intensity training methods have been extensively studied in male populations, the physiological and metabolic effects of highintensity interval resistance training (HIIRT) in overweight women are understudied. The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of an 8-week HIIRT program on body composition and lipid metabolism in women. Methods: A total of 30 women (mean age: 23.13 ± 4.03 years, mean BMI: 31.21±2.92kg/m²) participated in an 8-week HIIRT program. Body composition was measured before and after the intervention using bioelectrical impedance analysis (BIA), while blood lipid parameters (triglycerides, total cholesterol, LDL and HDL) were analyzed. Paired-sample t-tests were performed to determine the significance of the changes in body composition and lipid metabolism, using Cohen's d effect size for interpretation. Results: The HIIRT program led to significant improvements in body composition, with body weight decreasing by 11.4 kg (p=0.001, d=0.96) and fat percentage decreasing by 3.1% (p=0.001, d=0.92). In addition, blood lipid profiles improved significantly, with triglycerides (-8.9 mg/dL, p=0.001, d=0.81, medium effect), total cholesterol (-19.7 mg/dL, p=0,020, d=1.98, large effect) and LDL (-8.2 mg/dL, p=0.004, d=1.96, large effect) decreased, while HDL increased by +10 mg/dL (p=0.006, d≥2.0, very large effect). These results underline the positive effects of HIIRT on lipid metabolism and cardiovascular health. Conclusions: The results suggest that HIIRT is an effective and time-efficient training model for improving body composition and metabolic health in women. The combination of high-intensity interval training principles with resistance exercise optimizes fat oxidation, improves fat metabolism and supports cardiovascular function. Given its efficacy, HIIRT could be a valuable strategy for treating metabolic disorders and reducing the risks of physically inactive behavior. Future research should focus on long-term adaptations and individual variability in metabolic responses to optimize HIIRT programs for broader populations.