European Journal of Sport Science

ISSN: 1746-1391 (Print) 1536-7290 (Online) Journal homepage: https://www.tandfonline.com/loi/tejs20

Enjoyment and affective responses to two regimes

of high intensity interval training in inactive
women with obesity

Todd A. Astorino, Amy Clark, Annie De La Rosa & Jamie L. De Revere

To cite this article: Todd A. Astorino, Amy Clark, Annie De La Rosa & Jamie L. De Revere (2019):
Enjoyment and affective responses to two regimes of high intensity interval training in inactive
women with obesity, European Journal of Sport Science, DOI: 10.1080/17461391.2019.1619840

To link to this article: https://doi.org/10.1080/17461391.2019.1619840

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European Journal of Sport Science, 2019
https://doi.org/10.1080/17461391.2019.1619840

ORIGINAL ARTICLE

Enjoyment and affective responses to two regimes of high intensity

interval training in inactive women with obesity

TODD A. ASTORINO, AMY CLARK, ANNIE DE LA ROSA, & JAMIE L. DE REVERE

Department of Kinesiology, CSU—San Marcos, San Marcos, CA, USA

ABSTRACT
This study examined changes in enjoyment, affective valence, and rating of perceived exertion (RPE) in obese women
performing two regimes of high intensity interval training (HIIT) differing in structure and volume. Nineteen obese and
inactive women (age and body mass index = 37.5 ± 10.5 yr and 39.0 ± 4.3 kg/m2) were randomized to 6 wk of traditional
(TRAD, n = 10) or periodized interval training (PER, n = 9) which was performed on a cycle ergometer during which
structure changed weekly. Two supervised sessions per week were performed in a lab, and one session per week was
performed unsupervised. During every lab-based session, perceptual responses including enjoyment, affective valence, and
RPE were acquired. Data showed a groupXtraining interaction for enjoyment (p = 0.02) which was lower by 10–25 units
during PER versus TRAD. In addition, there was a groupXtimeXtraining interaction for RPE (p = 0.01). RPE did not
change in response to TRAD yet varied during PER, with lower RPE values exhibited during brief supramaximal bouts
(6.3 ± 0.9) compared to longer intervals (7.3 ± 1.2). Both regimes showed reductions in affective valence during training,
with the lowest values equal to 1.5 ± 1.6 in TRAD and −0.2 ± 1.6 in PER. Compared to TRAD, more aversive responses
were shown in PER throughout training by 0.4–2.0 units. Data show lower enjoyment and more aversive responses to
higher-volume bouts of interval training, which suggests that shorter bouts may be perceived more favourably by obese
women.

Keywords: Inactivity, pleasure: displeasure, perceptual responses, intermittent exercise, cycle ergometry

Highlights
. Affective valence during exercise has been shown to be related to future exercise participation.
. This study examined changes in affective valence during different regimens of high intensity interval training in inactive
women with obesity.
. Compared to brief supramaximal bouts, our results show more aversive affective valence and lower enjoyment in response
to longer bouts of interval training despite the lower intensity.
. Findings suggest that interval duration and volume mediate affective valence in women with obesity more than intensity.

Introduction
Despite the widely documented benefits of physical
activity, only 20% of adults in the United States
meet the Physical Activity guidelines of 150 min/wk
of moderate intensity continuous training (MICT)
or 75 min/wk of vigorous activity combined with
resistance training (Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention, 2010). Prevalence of meeting these
guidelines (1.5%) is lower in persons with obesity
(Tudor-Locke, Brashear, Johnson, & Katzmarzyk,
2010) which enhances risk of comorbidities including
insulin resistance, hypertension, and dyslipidemia
(Abate, 2000). Barriers to physical activity in adults
include perceived lack of willpower (Thomas,
Alder, & Leese, 2004) as well as lack of enjoyment
(Trost, Owen, Bauman, Sallis, & Brown, 2002) and
time (Andersen & Jakicic, 2009), which suggests
that alternative exercise modalities should be ident-
ified in this population to enhance exercise adherence
and in turn, potential health benefits.
Recently, high intensity interval training (HIIT)
has received tremendous interest as it elicits similar
and in some cases superior increases in cardiorespira-
tory fitness and insulin sensitivity while often being
more time-efficient (Jelleyman et al., 2015; Weston,
Wisloff, & Coombes, 2014). However, the near-

Correspondence: Todd A. Astorino, Professor, Department of Kinesiology, California State University, San Marcos, 333. S. Twin Oaks
Valley Road, UNIV 320, San Marcos, CA. Email: astorino@csusm.edu

© 2019 European College of Sport Science

2 T. A. Astorino et al.
maximal intensity required during HIIT may
augment feelings of displeasure according to the
dual-mode theory (Ekkekakis, Parfitt, & Petruzzello,
2011; Farias-Junior et al., 2019) which may reduce
the likelihood that individuals will initiate and con-
tinue it. Consideration of how people perceive exer-
cise such as HIIT is important, since affective and
cognitive variables are significant correlates of phys-
ical activity (Bauman et al., 2012). Despite the high
effort characteristic of HIIT, data (Jung, Bourne, &
Little, 2014; Martinez, Kilpatrick, Salomon, Jung,
& Little, 2015) from inactive adults show higher
post-exercise enjoyment in response to HIIT versus
MICT. In contrast, Oliveira et al. (Oliveira, Slama,
Deslandes, Furtado, & Santos, 2013) showed
similar enjoyment despite lower affective valence in
response to a single session of HIIT versus MICT
in active men. Conversely, significantly lower enjoy-
ment and affective valence in response to HIIT
versus MICT were reported in inactive women with
obesity (Decker & Ekkekakis, 2017), although the
work to rest ratio in these studies was 2:1 and 3:2,
which is extremely demanding and may have elicited
the aversive response to HIIT. The acute change in
affective valence is important, as previous data show
that in-task changes during acute MICT are associ-
ated with subsequent physical activity participation
(Rhodes & Kates, 2015). In addition, Stork, Gibala,
and Martin-Ginis (2018) reported that in-task affect
was predictive of preference for HIIT in inactive
individuals.
The primary aim of this study was to monitor
changes in enjoyment, affective valence, and rating
of perceived exertion (RPE) during two regimes of
HIIT in inactive, obese women. We compared
responses between a traditional 1:1 HIIT regime
(TRAD) consisting of submaximal intensities (Marti-
nez et al., 2015) and a periodized regime (PER) in
which structure changed weekly to include low-
volume HIIT, higher-volume HIIT, and bouts of
sprint interval training. Data from active adults
exhibit that shorter bouts of interval training tend to
elicit more positive perceptions versus longer bouts
(Kilpatrick et al., 2015), yet to our knowledge, this
has not been examined in obese, inactive women.
Enjoyment and affective valence encompass different
elements of the exercise experience, as enjoyment is
measured post-trial and involves cognition about
the overall experience (Wankel, 1993); whereas,
affective valence is assessed in-task and does not
require extensive cognitive input (Ekkekakis & Pet-
ruzzello, 2000). Previous studies are characterized
by comparison of these outcomes in response to com-
pletion of a single HIIT regime or session to MICT,
and to our knowledge, little is known regarding if
these responses vary amongst different HIIT
regimes or are modified in response to training,
especially in obese women. It is evident that obese
women report lower affect across the entire spectrum
of intensities than normal weight women (Ekkekakis,
Lind, & Vazou, 2010). These data will advance
knowledge concerning optimizing prescription of
HIIT in obese and inactive individuals, who rep-
resent the general population, to better elucidate per-
ceptual responses which may be used by clinicians to
foster long-term adherence to physical activity.
Materials and methods
Participants
Prospective participants were recruited via email
announcements and flyers placed at the university.
Of the 19 women who initiated the study, 9 com-
pleted the traditional interval training protocol
(TRAD) and 8 completed periodized training
(PER), with one woman in each group dropping
out at 2 and 4 wk due to lack of time and onset of
pregnancy, respectively. There were no significant
differences in baseline characteristics between
groups other than VO2max, which was higher in
TRAD. Mean age, %BF, and VO2max in TRAD
and PER were equal to 37 ± 12 yr, 47 ± 4%, 21 ±
3 mL/kg/min and 37 ± 8 yr, 50 ± 3%, and 17 ±
2 mL/kg/min, respectively. Inclusion criteria
included women ages 18–55 yr; inactive (<2 h/wk of
physical activity in the last year); body mass index
≥34 kg/m2; absence of pre-existing health conditions;
not taking medications that may affect metabolism;
and no injuries. Each participant completed a PAR-
Q (Thomas, Reading, & Shephard, 1992) and a phys-
ical activity and health history questionnaire before
initiating the study. Written informed consent was
obtained from participants, and the protocol was
approved by the University Institutional Review
Board. Data concerning participants’ changes in
VO2max, body composition, and muscular strength
were previously reported (Clark, De La Rosa, De
Revere, & Astorino, 2019).
Study design
This study used a repeated measures, within-sub-
jects, parallel group design. After baseline testing,
participants were assigned into TRAD or PER
using simple randomization and subsequently com-
pleted a 6 wk exercise intervention, with two super-
vised training sessions per week in the laboratory
and the third done outside of the laboratory without
supervision. Energy expenditure was not matched
between groups. Perceptual responses including
 Enjoyment and affective responses in obese women 3

enjoyment, affective valence, and RPE were
measured during lab-based HIIT. The study was
reported in accordance with the CONSORT state-
ment guidelines (Boutron et al., 2017).
Assessment of body composition and VO2max
Participants were required to abstain from physical
activity for 24 h before this session and complete a
3 h fast. Body composition was determined using
air displacement plethysmography (BodPod,
COSMED Inc., Chicago, IL). Maximal oxygen
uptake (VO2max) and peak power output (PPO)
were determined pre-training and at 3 and 6 wk
during ramp cycling to volitional exhaustion. Specific
details regarding these measurements are described
elsewhere (Clark et al., 2019).
and were instructed to perform training at 80–95%
HRmax. Participants returned the HR monitors
weekly for the Investigators to download the data.
Compliance to training was determined as frequency
of completion of the required 12 sessions of in-lab
training and 6 sessions of unsupervised training.
Assessment of perceptual responses
Before exercise, participants were read the following
instructions regarding the Feeling scale (Hardy &
Rejeski, 1989):
While participating in exercise, it is common to
experience changes in mood. Some individuals find
exercise pleasurable; whereas, others find it to be
unpleasant. Additionally, feeling may fluctuate
across time. That is, one might feel good and bad a
number of times during exercise.

Interval training regime

All sessions were performed on an electronically-braked
cycle ergometer (Velotron DynaFit Pro, RacerMate,
Seattle, WA) and preceded by a 5 min warm up at
20%PPO. During each session, HR was continuously
assessed using telemetry (Polar, Lake Success, NY).
Intensities were adjusted halfway through training
based on a mid-training VO2max assessment, which
was performed after the ninth session of HIIT. A
description of our regimes is demonstrated in Table I.
To accompany lab-based training, participants were
instructed to perform one day of unsupervised interval
training at home or in a gym by completing brisk
walking, cycling, jogging, rowing, or elliptical. This
was done to test the “real-world” feasibility of HIIT
in individuals with obesity. The protocol matched the
regimen done in the laboratory each week. The partici-
pants were given downloadable HR monitors (Polar,
Lake Success, NY) to verify the intensity of training
In addition, the meaning of the Borg CR-10 scale
(Borg, 1998) was communicated by asking partici-
pants to report perceptions of their exertion in
terms of their breathing, HR, and level of fatigue.
Measures were obtained pre-exercise and at the end
of each interval and in recovery before the next inter-
val; however, to allow comparison across regimes
which differed in structure, we analyzed data from
the first, middle, and last interval of each session. In
TRAD and in weeks 1 and 4 of PER, perceptual
data were analyzed at the end of the warm-up as well
as immediately after bout 1 and in recovery 5 s prior
to bout 2, immediately after bout 5 and in recovery
5 s prior to bout 6, and immediately after bout 10 of
training. During PER, values were also acquired
during the warm-up and immediately after the last
interval, but in weeks 2 and 5, values were also
recorded after the 3rd interval; whereas, in weeks 3
and 6, values were determined as the average from

Table I. Description of the high intensity interval training performed in the study.

Number of Bout Duration Rest Duration Intensity (% Warm Up Total Time

Traditional Bouts (seconds) (seconds) PPO) (minutes) (minutes)

Week 1 10 60 60 70 5 25
Week 2 10 60 60 75 5 25
Week 3 10 60 60 80 5 25
Week 4 10 60 60 75 5 25
Week 5 10 60 60 80 5 25
Week 6 10 60 60 85 5 25
Periodized
Week 1 10 60 60 70 5 25
Week 2 6 20 120 105 5 19
Week 3 7 120 60 60 5 26
Week 4 10 60 60 75 5 25
Week 5 6 20 120 110 5 19
Week 6 7 120 60 65 5 26
4 T. A. Astorino et al.

the 3rd and 4th interval. The values reported each
week were determined as the average from the two
lab-based sessions. Five minutes after completion of
the first lab-based session each week, participants
completed the 18-item Physical Activity Enjoyment
Scale (PACES, Kendzierski & DeCarlo, 1991).
Monitoring of physical activity and diet
Participants were instructed to maintain their inactive
lifestyle (abstention from any additional voluntary
physical activity) and dietary habits, and these
measures did not change during the study. Verifica-
tion of compliance was assessed via completion of
dietary logs and use of accelerometers, which were
administered at the pre-, mid-, and post-assessments.
The dietary logs were completed over a consecutive
3 d period including one weekend day, with macro-
nutrient intake analyzed via the United States
Department of Agriculture software Choose My
Plate. Participants were provided a wrist acceler-
ometer (ActiGraph, Pensacola, FL) and given
specific instructions on how to wear the device over
a 4 d period. Steps/day was used to quantify habitual
physical activity and were equal to 8218 ± 2319 vs.
9546 ± 2446 and 8561 ± 2444 vs. 7575 ± 3495
steps/day at baseline and post-training in TRAD
and PER, respectively, with no group X training
interaction (p = 0.19).
Data analysis
Data are expressed as mean ± SD and were analyzed
using SPSS 24.0 (Chicago, IL). The Shapiro-Wilks
test was used to assess normality. To assess effects
of HIIT on changes in enjoyment, two-way mixed
ANOVA with repeated measures (group = TRAD
and PER, and training = 6 levels representing the
weeks of training) was used. Changes in affect and
RPE were identified using a three-way mixed
ANOVA with repeated measures (group = TRAD
and PER, training = 6 levels, and time = 6 levels
representing the number of times it was acquired
during each session). VO2max was used as a covariate
in each analysis. The Greenhouse-Geisser correction
was used to account for the sphericity assumption of
unequal variances across groups. Tukey’s post hoc
test was used to determine differences between
means when a significant F ratio was found.
Cohen’s d was used to estimate effect size. Indepen-
dent t-test was used to identify baseline differences
between regimes. Pearson product moment corre-
lation coefficient was used to examine associations
between RPE and affective valence. Significance
was set at p < 0.05.
Results
Training fidelity
Average peak HR during training was equal to 90 ±
4%HRmax in TRAD and 87 ± 5%HRmax in PER.
Compliance to in-lab training was 100%; whereas,
the compliance rate for unsupervised training was
equal to 74.2 ± 25.1% in TRAD and 66.7 ± 33.3%
in PER (p = 0.60 between groups). Compared to
lab-based HIIT, peak HR was higher during unsu-
pervised training in weeks 1–4 (p = 0.01; p = 0.007;
p = 0.01; p = 0.03). There was no difference in peak
HR between lab-based and unsupervised training
during weeks 5 (p = 0.99) and 6 (p = 0.31).
Change in enjoyment in response to high intensity
interval training
Figure 1 shows the change in enjoyment in response
to HIIT. Data showed a significant group X training
interaction (p = 0.01) and a significant effect of train-
ing (pre- to post, p = 0.02). Data showed that PACES
was significantly lower every week of training in PER
versus TRAD (d = 1.2–3.3). In PER, post hoc ana-
lyses showed that PACES was significantly higher in
response to week 2 of training versus week 1 and 3
(d = 1.4 and 2.0), and week 5 versus week 4 and 6
(d = 1.5 and 1.6) of training, although in TRAD,
enjoyment did not change from week 1 to 6. The
lowest PACES values were observed in PER during
weeks 3 (73.1 ± 16.9) and 6 (76.4 ± 16.6) during
which high-volume HIIT was completed.
Change in RPE and affective valence in response to
high intensity interval training
These data are shown in Table II. There was a signifi-
cant main effect of training (p = 0.03) as well as a
group X time X training interaction (p = 0.01).
Between regimes, post hoc analyses exhibited that
end-exercise RPE was significantly lower (d = 2.0–
Figure 1. Change in enjoyment in response to 6 wk of high intensity
interval training (mean ± SD). ∗ p < 0.05 between TRAD and PER.
 Enjoyment and affective responses in obese women 5
Table II. Changes in RPE during traditional and periodized high intensity interval training in women (mean ± SD).

Bout duration Week 1 Week 2 Week 3 Week 4 Week 5 Week 6

TRAD
Warm-up 2.2 ± 0.9 2.3 ± 0.7 2.3 ± 0.8 2.3 ± 0.7 2.2 ± 1.0 2.2 ± 0.9
Bout1 3.7 ± 0.9 3.4 ± 0.9 3.4 ± 1.0 3.3 ± 0.9 3.4 ± 0.9 3.4 ± 1.1
Recovery 1 2.8 ± 0.6 2.7 ± 0.6 2.7 ± 0.7 2.9 ± 0.8 2.8 ± 0.8 2.7 ± 0.6
Midbout 5.5 ± 1.2 5.2 ± 1.2 5.5 ± 1.0 5.3 ± 0.9 5.3 ± 1.2 5.4 ± 1.3b
Mid-recovery 4.0 ± 1.0 3.8 ± 1.0 3.9 ± 1.0 3.8 ± 0.9 3.8 ± 1.0 3.8 ± 1.2
Post 6.4 ± 1.9b 6.2 ± 1.9 6.4 ± 1.4b 6.2 ± 1.5b 6.4 ± 1.4 6.4 ± 1.5b
PER
Warm-up 2.5 ± 0.6 2.4 ± 0.6 2.4 ± 0.9 2.5 ± 0.8 2.3 ± 1.1 2.2 ± 1.1
Bout1 4.1 ± 0.4 4.4 ± 1.0a 4.4 ± 0.7a 4.6 ± 0.8a 4.6 ± 0.8a 5.6 ± 1.2a
Recovery 1 3.1 ± 0.7 2.9 ± 0.9 3.1 ± 0.8 2.9 ± 0.8 2.9 ± 1.0 3.2 ± 1.0
Midbout 6.1 ± 0.9 5.4 ± 0.7 6.2 ± 1.0 6.2 ± 1.3 5.8 ± 0.5 6.8 ± 1.4
Mid-recovery 4.6 ± 1.4 3.4 ± 1.0 4.2 ± 0.6 3.7 ± 1.1 3.2 ± 1.1# 4.2 ± 1.4
Post 7.3 ± 1.4 6.2 ± 1.0∗ 7.3 ± 1.1 7.3 ± 1.2 6.4 ± 0.8 7.3 ± 1.4

∗
p < 0.05 compared to weeks 1, 3, 4, and 6 within PER.
#
p < 0.05 compared to week 1 within PER.
a
p < 0.05 versus LOW.
b
p < 0.05 versus PER.

2.4) in response to TRAD compared to PER during Discussion

all weeks of training except for weeks 2 and 5. As
Frequency of participation in physical activity is
expected, RPE increased (main effect of time, p <
extremely low in obese individuals which reduces
0.001) from warm-up (mean RPE = 2.3 ± 0.9)
health status. Many studies (Batacan, Duncan,
during HIIT and peaked between 6.0 and 8.0, with
Dalbo, Tucker, & Fenning, 2017; Tjønna et al.,
higher values frequently exhibited during PER
2008) show significant increases in cardiometabolic
versus TRAD. During TRAD, there was no differ-
health in response to HIIT; however, less is known
ence in RPE at any point across weeks 1–6 of training;
about how obese individuals perceive interval exer-
whereas, in PER, post hoc analyses showed that
cise and whether these perceptual variables change
weeks 2 and 5 of training, which consisted of repeated
during training, which applies to creation of HIIT
supramaximal 20 s efforts, led to lower RPE (d =
programmes in this population. Our data show that
0.81–1.27) than that seen with 1:1 training or
6 wk of traditional interval training having a fixed
higher volume (2:1) training.
structure elicits greater enjoyment and more positive
Table III demonstrates changes in affective valence
affect than interval training having a constantly chan-
in response to HIIT. There was a main effect of time
ging exercise stimulus, although within this regime,
(p < 0.001) as well as a main effect of training (p =
the most positive perceptual responses occurred in
0.01). Time X training (p < 0.001) and group X
response to brief, supramaximal bouts versus longer
time X training interactions (p < 0.001) also occurred.
bouts which exhibit lower affective valence.
Within both regimes, there was a gradual decline in
Whether this leads to greater intention to complete
affect during exercise. In TRAD, there was signifi-
these bouts long-term is unknown and requires
cantly lower end-exercise affective valence versus the
additional study.
warm-up (d = 0.6–1.0), but values were more positive
Our results show different changes in post-exercise
than PER and never decreased below “fairly good”
enjoyment in response to two HIIT regimes in obese
(+1.0). Similar reductions in affective valence were
women. Women performing TRAD exhibited main-
shown in PER from warm-up to end-exercise (d =
tenance in enjoyment despite a greater exercise inten-
1.1–2.0), yet during weeks 1, 3, 4, and 6, affect
sity applied each week, which could be viewed as a
recorded mid-bout was also significantly lower than
positive response to training. Lack of change in enjoy-
during the warm-up (d = 1.2–1.4). Post hoc results
ment was also observed in obese women completing
showed lower affect (d = 2.1–2.3) during PER in
5 wk of HIIT (Kong et al., 2016). Nevertheless,
weeks 1, 3, 4, and 6 of training versus TRAD, when
women performing PER revealed significantly lower
it attained values equal to “neutral” (0).
PACES values at all time points, representing a
Significant inverse associations (values ranging
“large” effect, versus TRAD. Moreover, enjoyment
from −0.50 to −0.72, p < 0.03) were shown
was lowest in response to high-volume training
between peak RPE and affective valence during all
requiring repeated 2 min bouts of exercise.
6 wk of interval training.
6 T. A. Astorino et al.
Table III. Changes in affective valence during traditional and periodized high intensity interval training in women (mean ± SD).

Bout duration Week 1 Week 2 Week 3 Week 4 Week 5 Week 6

TRAD
Warm-up 3.2 ± 0.9 3.8 ± 0.8 3.8 ± 0.8 3.8 ± 0.8 3.7 ± 0.9 3.8 ± 0.8
Bout1 3.1 ± 1.1 3.5 ± 0.9 3.6 ± 0.9 3.7 ± 0.9 3.4 ± 0.8 3.5 ± 0.9
Recovery 1 3.4 ± 0.8 3.5 ± 0.8 3.7 ± 0.9 3.6 ± 0.8 3.4 ± 0.8 3.6 ± 0.8
Midbout 2.3 ± 1.4 2.8 ± 1.0 2.6 ± 1.2 2.6 ± 0.7 2.4 ± 1.2 2.4 ± 1.4b
Mid-recovery 2.7 ± 0.9 2.8 ± 0.9 2.8 ± 0.9 2.7 ± 0.6 2.6 ± 1.1 2.7 ± 1.2
Post 1.9 ± 1.2∗ 2.2 ± 1.0∗ 1.7 ± 1.1∗ 1.7 ± 1.1∗ 1.6 ± 1.3∗ 1.5 ± 1.6∗
PER
Warm-up 3.2 ± 1.0 3.5 ± 0.9 3.7 ± 0.8 3.9 ± 0.8 3.5 ± 1.1 3.8 ± 1.0
Bout1 2.7 ± 0.8 2.7 ± 0.9 2.4 ± 1.3# 2.8 ± 1.1 2.8 ± 0.9 1.7 ± 1.9#
Recovery 1 3.0 ± 0.7 3.3 ± 0.8 2.5 ± 1.5# 3.3 ± 0.9 2.5 ± 0.9 2.4 ± 1.0#
∗ ∗
Midbout 0.8 ± 1.7∗ 2.0 ± 1.2 1.0 ± 2.1 ,# 1.1 ± 2.4∗ 2.0 ± 1.0 0.5 ± 2.4 ,#
Mid-recovery 1.3 ± 1.5# 3.0 ± 0.5 2.2 ± 1.0 2.1 ± 0.8 3.1 ± 1.1 1.5 ± 1.6#
∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗
Post −0.2 ± 1.2 ,# 1.2 ± 1.7 ,# 0.0 ± 2.3 ,# −0.2 ± 2.0 ,# 1.2 ± 1.3∗ 0.2 ± 2.4 ,#

∗
p < 0.05 versus warm-up within regime.
#
p < 0.05 versus LOW.

However, there was no difference in enjoyment
between weeks 1 and 4, 2 and 5, and 3 and 6 of train-
ing within PER. Explanations for these results are not
due to differences in training HR, which was similar
across groups, or changes in cardiorespiratory
fitness or PPO, which were comparable (Clark
et al., 2019). It is plausible that the discrepant struc-
ture of the regimes led to some of these different
responses. For example, in sedentary adults
(VO2max = 32 mL/kg/min) completing 6 wk of
HIIT consisting of 10 X 1 min bouts at 90%
HRmax, Heisz et al. (Heisz, Tejada, Paolucci, &
Muir, 2016) reported nearly identical enjoyment
values as seen in TRAD. When low-active women
with obesity (VO2max = 19 mL/kg/min) performed
HIIT consisting of repeated 3 min bouts at intensity
equal to 115% ventilatory threshold (Decker & Ekke-
kakis, 2017), lower enjoyment equal to 82 was shown,
similar to values exhibited in PER (PACES = 73–78)
in response to the 1 and 2 min bouts. These findings
suggest that lower enjoyment values may arise in
obese women when they perform longer intervals,
and shorter bouts may elicit higher enjoyment
despite the greater intensity (Figure 1). This is sup-
ported by data in young men (Townsend et al.,
2017) who showed higher enjoyment in response to
shorter versus longer SIT bouts on a treadmill.
Sprint interval training has been shown to increase
VO2max and reduce body fat in obese women to a
greater extent than MICT (Higgins, Fedewa, Hath-
away, Schmidt, & Evans, 2016), although another
study in inactive individuals showed both regimens
led to similar changes in these outcomes versus con-
trols (Gillen et al., 2016). Our data show that this
mode of interval training elicits greater enjoyment
than higher-volume interval training, which together
seem to warrant its implementation as an exercise-
based strategy to improve health status in this
population.
Our peak RPE values from 6.0 to 8.0 are similar to
those previously reported (Jung et al., 2014) in low-
active adults performing HIIT at 80%PPO. A sur-
prising finding is that 20 s supramaximal bouts per-
formed in PER elicit lower RPE by 1 unit,
representing a “large” effect, than 60 and 120 s
bouts. RPE equal to 13–15 (“somewhat hard” to
“hard”) were reported by active individuals complet-
ing 20 s bouts of reduced exertion interval training
(Nalçakan et al., 2018). In contrast, data in active
men and women (Wood et al., 2016) showed signifi-
cantly higher RPE in response to SIT (eight 30 s
bouts at 130%PPO) versus HIIT (eight 60 s bouts
at 85%PPO), which would suggest that higher work
rates, and not higher volumes, elicit higher RPE.
However, those subjects performed twice the
volume of SIT at a higher intensity versus that per-
formed in the current study, so it is likely that differ-
ences between these regimes mediate some of the
opposing findings. A previous study in obese
women showed that increases in RPE during
walking are associated with lower physical activity
and weight gain (Brock et al., 2010). This would
suggest that reducing the increment in RPE in
untrained individuals is important to promote adher-
ence, and this seems to be feasible by employing low-
volume SIT or in the case of higher-volume regimes,
reducing the number of bouts from ten to less than
six, which elicits RPE of approximately 5.0 which
represents “hard.”
Our end-exercise values for affective valence in
response to TRAD are similar to those reported by
Martinez et al. (Martinez et al., 2015) equal to 2.0
in inactive adults performing 1 min HIIT bouts.
However, more aversive values were shown in other

studies (Bauman et al., 2012; Decker & Ekkekakis,
2017) which is due to the higher intensity (100%
PPO) of the former study and higher volume of the
latter. Our values seen during TRAD are similar to
those reported when MICE was completed in these
studies. Nevertheless, in PER, end-exercise affective
valence was lower, representing a “large” effect, and
was equal to 0 (neutral) for four of six weeks of train-
ing. In addition, high-volume training with 2:1 work:
rest ratio was not perceived favourably, as significant
and marked declines in affect were seen versus the
warm-up during the majority of the session including
recovery. This finding corroborates previous data
(Kilpatrick & Greeley, 2014) and is likely due to the
relatively prolonged bouts of intense exercise requir-
ing maintenance of near-maximal effort. One unex-
pected response was that affective valence and RPE
were significantly different between groups, repre-
senting a “large” effect, in weeks 1 and 4 when the
training structure was identical. We speculate that
differences in VO2max between women or potential
differences in competence and self-efficacy elicited
these dissimilar responses. Within PER, affective
valence was highest in response to SIT, in which
only end-exercise values significantly differed from
the warm-up. Blood lactate concentration was equal
to 10 mM in response to low-volume HIIT (Thum,
Parsons, Whittle, & Astorino, 2017), 12 mM in
response to bouts of SIT at 140%PPO (Olney
et al., 2018) and 15 mM in response to REHIT (Met-
calfe et al., 2015), which according to the dual-mode
theory (Ekkekakis et al., 2011), should be associated
with a marked decline in affective valence. However,
it may be that this theory does not apply to sessions of
SIT having low exercise volume and relatively long
periods of recovery that allow the exerciser’s mood
to recover. This is shown by our data (Table III)
expressing similar affective valence in recovery after
bouts 1 and 3/4 versus that recorded during the
warm-up.
Despite the efficacy of HIIT to enhance fitness and
health in individuals including those with obesity, its
use has been questioned in inactive populations
(Hardcastle, Ray, Beale, & Hagger, 2014) as its
near-maximal intensity may induce feelings of dis-
pleasure and long-term, reduce willingness to
engage in this modality. Previous results showed
that a 1-unit difference in in-task affective valence is
related to 40 min of additional physical activity per
week (Williams et al., 2008). Jung, Bourne, Beau-
champ, Robinson, and Little (2015) showed greater
adherence to HIIT versus MICT over a 1 mo
period in free-living adults with diabetes. In addition,
a recent study (Stavrinou, Bogdanis, Giannaki,
Terzis, & Hadjicharalambous, 2019) showed that
8 wk of HIIT in inactive adults promotes increases
Enjoyment and affective responses in obese women 7
in habitual physical activity. Although preliminary,
these findings suggest the potential viability of HIIT
in unsupervised adults which merits further investi-
gation. Despite this, other data show low adherence
to HIIT in overweight adults performing it in a
real-world setting (Roy et al., 2018). Overall, an infi-
nite number of HIIT permutations are possible by
varying volume, intensity, or recovery, and due to
individual variability in affective responses to HIIT
(Table III and Kellogg et al., 2018), we recommend
that clinicians implement unique interval-based
regimes that promote positive perceptual responses
for each individual.
This study faces a few limitations. First, our par-
ticipants were healthy, so data cannot be general-
ized to obese women with chronic disease.
Second, the women performing TRAD had a
higher VO2max at baseline versus those in PER
which may alter affective responses to exercise
(Ekkekakis et al., 2011). Yet, we are unsure if this
difference exerted any effect on our outcomes, as
average VO2max in this group is still classified as
“very poor” for their age (American College of
Sports Medicine, 2014). Third, we did not
measure self-efficacy or future intention to complete
interval training, which are important determinants
of willingness to engage in exercise long-term
(Bauman et al., 2012). It is possible that our
sample size was underpowered to detect between-
group changes in perceptual outcomes, as it was
powered to detect differences in the VO2max
response. In addition, it is possible that some
women were peri-menopausal and the associated
physiological changes could alter their mood and
thus exercise perceptions. However, the study is
strengthened by assessment of perceptual responses
during every session, and acquiring these measures
at the “peaks” and “valleys” of the bout (Decker &
Ekkekakis, 2017) rather than just before and after
exercise. In addition, all sessions were overseen by
the same investigator which helps standardize the
environment and potentially reduce variability in
perceptual responses to exercise. In addition, there
was precise monitoring of workloads during train-
ing, and our results apply to a large portion of the
population who are inactive and obese.
Overall, obese, inactive women viewed higher-
volume interval training as less enjoyable and more
exerting than 1 min bouts of interval training charac-
terized by 1:1 ratio of work:recovery. In addition,
higher volume HIIT elicited lower in-task affective
valence which may be due to greater physiological
strain induced by longer bouts of intense exercise (Kil-
patrick et al., 2015; Townsend et al., 2017). Repeated
bouts of SIT were seen as more enjoyable and elicited
smaller declines in affective valence versus longer
8 T. A. Astorino et al.
bouts within the periodized regime, which may
support use of bouts of interval training lasting ≤20 s
and following a 1:6 work: recovery in similar popu-
lations. These results suggest that interval duration
and volume need to be considered by practitioners
to optimize perceptual responses to training.
Acknowledgements
We thank the participants for their dedication to the
study.
Disclosure statement
No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.
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