Psychophysiological and Cognitive Responses to Low-Volume High-Intensity Interval Exercise in Overweight-to-Obese Adults

NCT ID: NCT07276308

Last Updated: 2025-12-11

Basic Information

• Recruitment Status: COMPLETED
• Clinical Phase: NA
• Total Enrollment: 32 participants
• Study Classification: INTERVENTIONAL
• Study Start Date: 2023-03-01
• Study Completion Date: 2023-09-01

Brief Summary

This study aims to explore how stress-related hormones and psychological traits influence people's feelings and perceptions during a short and intense form of exercise called low-volume high-intensity interval exercise (Lv-HIIE). Adults with overweight or obesity participated in a supervised 10-week cycling program consisting of repeated one-minute high-intensity efforts separated by short recovery periods.

The research examines how psychophysiological stress markers (such as cortisol and ACTH), cognitive traits (such as goal orientation and hardiness), and perceptual responses (such as exertion, mood, and enjoyment) change over time. Findings from this study may help develop exercise programs that are more enjoyable, sustainable, and personalized for individuals with higher body-mass categories.

Conditions

Overweight and/or Obesity; Overweight and Obese Adults

Study Design

• Allocation Method: NA
• Intervention Model: SINGLE_GROUP
• Primary Study Purpose: BASIC_SCIENCE
• Blinding Strategy: NONE

Study Groups

Low-Volume High-Intensity Interval Exercise (Lv-HIIE)

Participants will perform a low-volume high-intensity interval exercise (Lv-HIIE) program consisting of 6-10 cycling intervals at 90% of maximal aerobic speed, interspersed with 75-second active recovery periods. The intervention will be conducted three times per week for 10 weeks under supervised laboratory conditions. Each session will include standardized warm-up and cool-down phases. The study aims to evaluate psychophysiological stress, cognitive markers, and perceptual responses across repeated exercise sessions in overweight-to-obese adults.

Group Type: EXPERIMENTAL

Low-Volume High-Intensity Interval Exercise (Lv-HIIE)

Intervention Type: BEHAVIORAL

The intervention consists of a supervised low-volume high-intensity interval exercise (Lv-HIIE) program performed on a cycle ergometer. Each session includes 6-10 intervals of 1 minute at 90% of maximal aerobic speed, interspersed with 75-second active recovery periods. Participants will train three times per week for 10 weeks under laboratory supervision. Each session begins with a standardized 5-minute warm-up and ends with a 5-minute cool-down. The program is designed to investigate changes in psychophysiological stress (ACTH, cortisol), cognitive markers (goal orientation, hardiness), and perceptual responses (affective valence, perceived exertion, enjoyment) across repeated exercise exposures in overweight-to-obese adults.

Interventions

Low-Volume High-Intensity Interval Exercise (Lv-HIIE)

The intervention consists of a supervised low-volume high-intensity interval exercise (Lv-HIIE) program performed on a cycle ergometer. Each session includes 6-10 intervals of 1 minute at 90% of maximal aerobic speed, interspersed with 75-second active recovery periods. Participants will train three times per week for 10 weeks under laboratory supervision. Each session begins with a standardized 5-minute warm-up and ends with a 5-minute cool-down. The program is designed to investigate changes in psychophysiological stress (ACTH, cortisol), cognitive markers (goal orientation, hardiness), and perceptual responses (affective valence, perceived exertion, enjoyment) across repeated exercise exposures in overweight-to-obese adults.

Intervention Type: BEHAVIORAL

Other Intervention Names

Lv-HIIE Training; Low-Volume HIIE; High-Intensity Interval Exercise Program

Eligibility Criteria

Inclusion Criteria

• Male and female between the ages of 20-35 years old
• BMI of 23 kg.m² to 30 kg.m2
• Medically fit to exercise.
• Physically inactive individuals (do not achieve 150 minutes of moderate-intensity exercise/PA for a week).

Exclusion Criteria

• smokers.
• free from any metabolic diseases such as hypertension, dyslipidaemia, and hyperglycaemia.
• not using any medication or substance known to influence cardiorespiratory or metabolic responses to exercise
• previously participated in a specific training program within the past 6 months before the exercise interventions.
• contraindications to exercise based on the Physical Activity Readiness Questionnaire (PAR-Q) such as musculoskeletal injuries.

• Minimum Eligible Age: 20 Years
• Maximum Eligible Age: 35 Years
• Eligible Sex: ALL
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: Yes

Sponsors

Universiti Sains Malaysia

OTHER

Sponsor Role: lead

Responsible Party

Ruohan Zhang

Principal Investigator (PhD Candidate)

Responsibility Role: PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR

Locations

Universiti Sains Malaysia, Health Campus, Complex sports center

Kota Bharu, Kelantan, Malaysia

Countries

Malaysia

Other Identifiers

FRGS/1/2022/SKK06/USM/03/5

Identifier Type: OTHER_GRANT

Identifier Source: secondary_id

USM/JEPeM/22080549

Identifier Type: -

Identifier Source: org_study_id