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RCT·cardiology, endocrinology, sports medicine, public health, nutrition·PMC10008870

The effect of Tabata-style functional high-intensity interval training on cardiometabolic health and physical activity in female university students

Frontiers in Physiology · 5 authors, 3 centres

AI SUMMARY

POPULATIONFemale university students (freshmen) aged ~20 years from Ningbo University; 117 participants (59 Tabata, 58 control) included in final analysis; 27 (23.08%) classified as overweight/obese.

INTERVENTION12-week Tabata-style functional HIIT: 3 sessions/week, each session = 10-min warm-up + 4-min Tabata (8 bouts of 20-s all-out functional exercises [jumping jacks, high knees, squat jumps, mountain climbers] with 10-s rest) + 5-min cool-down. Total workout time = 4 min/session. Intensity: mean HR 83.24% of HRmax.

COMPARISONControl group instructed to maintain routine habits for 12 weeks.

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TL;DR

A 12-week Tabata-style functional high-intensity interval training (HIIT) program improved cardiorespiratory fitness, body composition, blood pressure, lipid profiles, insulin sensitivity, and daily physical activity in female university students. The most pronounced cardiometabolic benefits were observed in overweight/obese participants. This low-volume, time-efficient protocol offers a feasible strategy for improving cardiovascular health in young women.

Full summary

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**Background:** Cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk begins in childhood, and metabolic syndrome (MetS) prevalence is rising in young adults, particularly women. University students often exhibit unhealthy weight gain, low physical activity (PA), poor diet, and declining cardiorespiratory fitness (CRF). High-intensity interval training (HIIT) is time-efficient and improves CRF, but its effects on cardiometabolic health and habitual PA remain controversial, especially with very low-volume protocols like Tabata (4 min/session). This study evaluated a 12-week Tabata-style functional HIIT on cardiometabolic health and PA in female university students.

**Methods:** This 12-week RCT enrolled 122 female freshmen from Ningbo University (March 2022). Exclusion criteria: CVD, diabetes, conditions affecting PA/diet, pregnancy. Final analysis included 59 Tabata and 58 control participants (1 dropout due to hypoglycemia; 4 controls missing post-test blood data). The Tabata group performed 3 supervised sessions/week: 10-min warm-up, 4-min Tabata (8 × 20-s all-out functional exercises [jumping jacks, high knees, squat jumps, mountain climbers] with 10-s rest), 5-min cool-down. Intensity was monitored via Polar H10 HR monitors (target: ≥80% HRmax). Control group maintained routine habits. Measurements included: body composition (bioelectrical impedance), waist circumference (WC), resting HR, blood pressure (BP), VO2max (modified YMCA submaximal cycle test), fasting blood lipids (TC, LDL, HDL, TG), HbA1c, CRP, fasting glucose (FPG), fasting insulin, HOMA-IR, PA (ActiGraph wGT3X-BT accelerometer for 7 days), and dietary intake (FFQ). MetS was defined per Alberti et al. (2009) criteria. Statistical analysis used mixed linear models, Cohen's d effect sizes, and linear regression, controlling for age, lifestyle, baseline values, and changes in body composition, CRF, and diet.

**Key Results:** Exercise fidelity was high: mean HR during exercise = 83.24% (95% CI: 82.75%–83.74%) of HRmax; adherence = 98.31%. Significant intervention effects (Tabata vs. control) were observed for: VO2max (relative: +12.87% vs. −0.27%, p<0.001, d=2.53; absolute: +12.73% vs. +0.98%, p<0.001, d=2.24), resting HR (−8.62% vs. +0.05%, p<0.001, d=−1.82), SBP (−3.66% vs. +0.22%, p<0.001, d=−1.24), %BF (−2.57% vs. +3.23%, p<0.001, d=−1.15), FM (−2.61% vs. +4.58%, p<0.001, d=−1.08), HDL (+8.54% vs. +0.45%, p<0.001, d=1.04), LDL (−1.95% vs. +1.06%, p=0.003, d=−0.57), TC (−1.07% vs. +0.90%, p=0.001, d=−0.64), HOMA-IR (−1.24% vs. +0.24%, p=0.026, d=−0.42), fasting insulin (−0.83% vs. +0.29%, p=0.035, d=−0.40), MVPA (+15.51% vs. −2.95%, p<0.001, d=2.31), and TPA (+14.92% vs. −2.03%, p<0.001, d=1.98). Weight and BMI did not change in the Tabata group but increased in controls (1.25%, p=0.011). DBP, FPG, HbA1c, and CRP showed no significant intervention effects. MetS prevalence decreased from 5.08% to 0% in Tabata (unchanged in controls). Subgroup analysis showed greater improvements in overweight/obese participants: weight (−3.54%, p<0.001), WC (−1.24%, p<0.001), FM (−8.61%, p=0.001), LDL (−8.59%, p<0.001), TG (−6.30%, p=0.007), TC (−4.83%, p<0.001), HbA1c (−0.73%, p=0.008), FPG (−1.50%, p=0.034), HOMA-IR (−3.84%, p=0.009), MVPA (+22.50%, p=0.004), and TPA (+22.84%, p=0.005). Regression analysis showed that changes in TPA (β=0.480, p=0.001) and MVPA (β=0.326, p=0.015) were independently associated with improvements in HDL.

**Clinical Implications:** A 12-week Tabata-style functional HIIT (4 min/session, 3 sessions/week) is a feasible, time-efficient intervention that improves CRF, body composition, SBP, lipid profiles, insulin sensitivity, and habitual PA in female university students. Benefits are most pronounced in overweight/obese individuals, who also showed reductions in weight, WC, and FPG. The protocol achieved high adherence (98.31%) and consistent exercise intensity. The association between increased habitual PA and HDL improvement suggests that HIIT may promote broader lifestyle changes. This low-volume protocol could be implemented in university settings to counteract the rising prevalence of MetS and physical inactivity in young women. Limitations include lack of follow-up, potential dietary confounding, and short duration for assessing clinical outcomes.

PICO

PPOPULATION

Female university students (freshmen) aged ~20 years from Ningbo University; 117 participants (59 Tabata, 58 control) included in final analysis; 27 (23.08%) classified as overweight/obese.

IINTERVENTION

12-week Tabata-style functional HIIT: 3 sessions/week, each session = 10-min warm-up + 4-min Tabata (8 bouts of 20-s all-out functional exercises [jumping jacks, high knees, squat jumps, mountain climbers] with 10-s rest) + 5-min cool-down. Total workout time = 4 min/session. Intensity: mean HR 83.24% of HRmax.

OOUTCOME

Primary: cardiometabolic health (body composition, VO2max, blood pressure, lipid profile, glucose metabolism, CRP, MetS prevalence) and physical activity (MVPA, TPA via accelerometry). Secondary: dietary intake, exercise fidelity.

STUDY TYPE

RCT

SPECIALTY

cardiology

SUMMARISED BY

AI pipeline

FIDELITY CHECK

Not run

ORIGINAL PAPER

PMC10008870

The effect of Tabata-style functional high-intensity interval training on cardiometabolic health and physical activity in female university students

Frontiers in Physiology

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ABSTRACT

Abstract Introduction: The increasing prevalence of metabolic syndrome and physical inactivity enhances exposure to cardiometabolic risk factors in university students. High-intensity interval training (HIIT) improved cardiometabolic health in clinical adults but the evidence in the university setting is limited. Furthermore, few studies examined the effect of low-volume HIIT on habitual physical activity (PA). Therefore, the primary aim of this study was to evaluate the efficacy of 12-week Tabata-style functional HIIT for improving multiple cardiometabolic health outcomes and habitual PA. We also investigated whether changes in habitual PA over the intervention period had an impact on exercise-induced health outcomes. Methods: 122 female freshmen were randomized into the Tabata group (n = 60) and the control (n = 62). The Tabata training protocol involved 8 × 20 s maximal repeated functional exercises followed by 10 s rest with a frequency of 3 times per week for 12 weeks. Body composition, maximal oxygen uptake (VO 2max ), blood pressure (BP), blood lipids, fasting glucose and insulin, C-reactive protein and PA were objectively measured using standardized methods. Dietary intake was measured using a valid food frequency questionnaire. All variables were measured pre- and post-intervention. Results: Mixed linear modelling results showed that there were large intervention effects on VO 2max ( p < 0.001, d = 2.53, 95% CI: 2.03 to 3.00 for relative VO 2max ; p < 0.001, d = 2.24, 95% CI: 1.76 to 2.68 for absolute VO 2max ), resting heart rate ( p < 0.001, d = −1.82, 95% CI: −2.23 to −1.37), systolic BP ( p < 0.001, d = −1.24, 95% CI: −1.63 to −0.84), moderate-to-vigorous intensity physical activity (MVPA) ( p < 0.001, d = 2.31, 95% CI: 1.83 to 2.77), total PA ( p < 0.001, d = 1.98, 95% CI: 1.53 to 2.41); moderate effects on %BF ( p < 0.001, d = -1.15, 95% CI: −1.53 to −0.75), FM ( p < 0.001, d = −1.08, 95% CI: −1.46 to −0.69), high-density lipoprotein (HDL) ( p < 0.001, d = 1.04, 95% CI: 0.65 to 1.42), total cholesterol ( p = 0.001, d = −0.64, 95% CI: −1.00 to −0.26); small effects on BMI ( p = 0.011, d = −0.48, 95% CI: −0.84 to 0.11), WC ( p = 0.043, d = −0.37, 95% CI: −0.74 to −0.01), low-density lipoprotein ( p = 0.003, d = −0.57, 95% CI: −0.93 to −0.19), HOMA-IR ( p = 0.026, d = −0.42, 95% CI: −0.78 to −0.05) and fasting insulin ( p = 0.035, d = −0.40, 95% CI: −0.76 to −0.03). Regression analysis showed that only the percentage change of HDL was associated with the change of MVPA (b = 0.326, p = 0.015) and TPA (b = 0.480, p = 0.001). Conclusion: From the findings of the study we can conclude that 12-week low-volume Tabata-style functional HIIT was highly effective for university female students to improve cardiorespiratory fitness, body fat, some cardiometabolic health outcomes and habitual PA. Keywords: Tabata, functional training, cardiometabolic health, physical activity, young females

CITATION EXPORT

Yining Lu, Huw D Wiltshire, Julien Steven Baker et al.. The effect of Tabata-style functional high-intensity interval training on cardiometabolic health and physical activity in female university students. Frontiers in Physiology. (2023). https://doi.org/10.3389/fphys.2023.1095315

AUTHORS

5 · 3 CENTRES

Yining Lu, Huw D Wiltshire, Julien Steven Baker, Qiaojun Wang, Shanshan Ying

1 Faculty of Sport Science, Ningbo University, Ningbo, China
2 Cardiff School of Sport and Health Sciences, Cardiff Metropolitan University, Cardiff, United Kingdom
3 Centre for Population Health and Medical Informatics, Department of Sport, Physical Education and Health, Hong Kong Baptist University, Kowloon Tong, Hong Kong SAR, China