ORIGINAL RESEARCH article
Front. Sports Act. Living
Sec. Exercise Physiology
Volume 7 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/fspor.2025.1655906
Optimising Adolescent Health: A Comparative Study of High-Intensity Interval Training and Moderate-Intensity Continuous Training on Body Composition and Cardiovascular Fitness in Sedentary Male Youth
Provisionally accepted
- Yakin Dogu Universitesi, Nicosia, Cyprus
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Background: Excess body fat and weight are key risk factors for morbidity and mortality, particularly during adolescence. High-Intensity Interval Training (HIIT) and Moderate-Intensity Continuous Training (MICT) are both widely used strategies to improve body composition, yet limited evidence exists comparing their effects among sedentary, normal-weight adolescent males. Methods: This randomized controlled study aimed to compare the effects of HIIT and MICT on body composition and cardiovascular fitness in sedentary male adolescents. Sixty normal-weight males aged 16–17 years were randomly assigned to one of three groups: HIIT (n = 20), MICT (n = 20), or control (CG; n = 20). The HIIT protocol comprised six 30-second high-intensity running intervals (80%–90% HRmax) interspersed with 90 seconds of low-intensity walking (50% HRmax), totalling 20 minutes per session. The MICT protocol involved continuous running at 60%–70% HRmax for 30 minutes, inclusive of warm-up and cool-down. Both intervention groups trained four times weekly over 8 weeks, while the control group received no intervention. Pre-and post-intervention measurements included body fat percentage, body weight, skinfold thickness, and resting heart rate, analysed using one-way ANOVA with Bonferroni post hoc comparisons. Given its shorter duration and comparable outcomes, HIIT appears time-efficient for school-based delivery in normal-weight adolescent males, addressing a population and setting under-represented in prior trials. Results: Significant reductions in body fat were observed in both the HIIT (−6.0%, p < 0.001, ES = 0.97) and MICT (−5.7%, p < 0.001, ES = 0.76) groups, with no meaningful change in the CG (−1.0%, p > 0.05). Both HIIT and MICT groups also demonstrated significant weight loss (−7.45%, p < 0.001), compared to a negligible change in CG (−0.89%, p > 0.05). Skinfold thickness significantly decreased in HIIT (−24.70%, p < 0.001) and MICT (−23.66%, p < 0.001), with minor change in CG (−4.12%, p > 0.05). Resting heart rate improved in HIIT (−9.14%, p < 0.001) and MICT (−7.12%, p < 0.001), whereas the CG experienced a slight increase (+0.026%, p > 0.05). Conclusions: Both HIIT and MICT are effective for improving body composition and cardiorespiratory fitness in sedentary male adolescents.
Keywords: adolescents, cardiorespiratory fitness, High-intensity interval training, Moderate-intensity continuous training, Sedentary Lifestyle, weight management
Received: 04 Jul 2025; Accepted: 25 Sep 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 Yahat. 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: Huseyin Yahat, huseyinyahat95@gmail.com
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