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Purpose: To compare psychological responses to, and preferences for, moderate-intensity continuous training (MICT), high-intensity interval training (HIIT), and sprint interval training (SIT) among inactive adults; and to investigate the relationships between affect, enjoyment, exercise preferences, and subsequent exercise behavior over a 4-wk follow-up period. Methods: Thirty inactive men and women (21.23 ± 3.81 yr), inexperienced with HIIT or SIT, completed three trials of cycle ergometer exercise in random order on separate days: MICT (45 min continuous; approximately 70% to 75% of HR maximum (HRmax)); HIIT (10 × 1 min bouts at approximately 85% to 90% HRmax with 1-min recovery periods); and SIT (3 × 20-s “all-out” sprints with 2-min recovery periods). Perceived exertion (RPE), affect, and arousal were measured throughout the trials and enjoyment was measured postexercise. Participants rank-ordered the protocols (1–3) according to preference and logged their exercise over a 4-wk follow-up. Results: Despite elevated HR, RPE, and arousal during work periods (P ’s < 0.05), and negative affect during HIIT and SIT, enjoyment and preferences for MICT, HIIT, and SIT were similar (P’ s > 0.05). In-task affect was predictive of postexercise enjoyment for each type of exercise (r’ s = 0.32 to 0.47; P’ s < 0.05). In-task affect and postexercise enjoyment predicted preferences for HIIT and SIT (r s’s = −0.34 to −0.61; P’ s < 0.05), but not for MICT (P’ s > 0.05), respectively. Over the follow-up, participants completed more MICT (M = 6.11 ± 4.12) than SIT sessions (M = 1.39 ± 1.85; P < 0.01, d = 1.34). Although participants tended to complete more sessions of MICT than HIIT (M = 3.54 ± 4.23; P = 0.16, d = 0.56), and more sessions of HIIT than SIT (P = 0.07, d = 0.60), differences were not significant. In-task affect predicted the number of sessions of MICT (r = 0.40; P < 0.05), but not HIIT or SIT (P’ s > 0.05). Conclusions: This study provides new evidence that a single session of HIIT and SIT can be as enjoyable and preferable as MICT among inactive individuals and that there may be differences in the exercise affect–behavior relationship between interval and continuous exercise. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: To compare a weight training alone treatment (WT) to an innovative WT plus education treatment (WT + ED) about the use of strength-training gains when performing activities of daily living (ADL) with respect to their effects on ADL self-efficacy and performance., Methods: Twenty-three men and 41 women (mean age = 74.4 +/- 3.7 yr) were randomly assigned to WT or WT + ED. Both groups performed 12 wk (two sessions per week) of WT targeting eight major muscle groups. WT + ED received behavioral training and associated written materials emphasizing the link between WT and ADL. WT received a placebo educational intervention. Baseline and posttest measures were collected for self-efficacy for performing eight lab-based ADL tasks and performance of the eight ADL tasks. A manipulation check compared participants' knowledge of ADL that might be improved through WT., Results: The WT + ED treatment listed more ADL that could be improved with WT and had greater posttest self-efficacy for performing the ADL lab tasks than the WT treatment. Greater ADL self-efficacy did not translate into better ADL performance., Conclusions: A targeted educational intervention can help older adults generalize the benefits and confidence obtained through WT to their performance of ADL. Further research is needed to determine the behavioral and psychosocial impact of enhanced ADL self-efficacy on older adults.

Purpose: This study examined the relationships between physiologic function, depressive symptoms, and body image among maintenance cardiac rehabilitation participants. Physiologic function was operationalized as both functional status and functional capacity., Methods: Participants were 72 men (mean age = 67.3 years) all of whom had experienced a traumatic cardiac event (ie, myocardial infarction, valve replacement surgery, coronary artery bypass graft surgery, percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty), and had completed some type of physician-supervised acute cardiac rehabilitation (ie, phase I and phase II). Measures of body image (social physique anxiety and body appearance satisfaction), self-reported functional status, clinician-reported functional capacity (ie, V0(2) and peak power), and depressive symptoms were collected., Results: Hierarchic multiple regression analyses revealed that both functional capacity and functional status explained significant variance in social physique anxiety (R(2) = 0.11, P<.05 and R(2) = 0.18, P<.05, respectively), whereas only functional status was a significant predictor of body appearance satisfaction (R(2) = 0.37, P<.01). Contrary to our hypotheses, depressive symptoms were not significantly related to either psychosocial or physiologic indices of functional well-being., Conclusions: Both patient perceptions of functional status and clinical measures of functional capacity are important aspects of psychosocial well-being among cardiac patients.