OBJECTIVE
To examine whether high-intensity interval walking training increased thigh muscle
strength and peak aerobic capacity and reduced blood pressure more than moderate-intensity
continuous walking training.
PARTICIPANTS AND METHODS
From May 18, 2004, to October 15, 2004 (5-month study period), 60 men and 186 women
with a mean ± SD age of 63±6 years were randomly divided into 3 groups: no walking
training, moderate-intensity continuous walking training, and high-intensity interval
walking training. Participants in the moderate-intensity continuous walking training
group were instructed to walk at approximately 50% of their peak aerobic capacity
for walking, using a pedometer to verify that they took 8000 steps or more per day
for 4 or more days per week. Those in the high-intensity interval walking training
group, who were monitored by accelerometry, were instructed to repeat 5 or more sets
of 3-minute low-intensity walking at 40% of peak aerobic capacity for walking followed
by a 3-minute high-intensity walking above 70% of peak aerobic capacity for walking
per day for 4 or more days per week. Isometric knee extension and flexion forces,
peak aerobic capacity for cycling, and peak aerobic capacity for walking were all
measured both before and after training.
RESULTS
The targets were met by 9 of 25 men and 37 of 59 women in the no walking training
group, by 8 of 16 men and 43 of 59 women in the moderate-intensity continuous walking
training group, and by 11 of 19 men and 31 of 68 women in the high-intensity interval
walking training group. In the high-intensity interval walking training group, isometric
knee extension increased by 13%, isometric knee flexion by 17%, peak aerobic capacity
for cycling by 8%, and peak aerobic capacity for walking by 9% (all, P<.001), all of which were significantly greater than the increases observed in the
moderate-intensity continuous walking training group (all, P<.01). Moreover, the reduction in resting systolic blood pressure was higher for the
high-intensity interval walking training group (P=.01).
CONCLUSION
High-intensity interval walking may protect against age-associated increases in blood
pressure and decreases in thigh muscle strength and peak aerobic capacity.
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Article Info
Footnotes
This study was supported in part by grants from the Ministry of Health, Labor, and Welfare (Comprehensive Research on Aging and Health), the Japan Society for Promotion of Science, and the Ministry of Economy, Trade, and Industry of Japan.
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Copyright
© 2007 Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
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- Exercise: A Walk in the Park?Mayo Clinic ProceedingsVol. 82Issue 7
- PreviewIn this issue of Mayo Clinic Proceedings,1 Nemoto et al address the benefits of walking regimens and in so doing reflect a broad movement in the exercise literature and the health intervention community. Emphasis is moving away from in-termittent sweat-drenched bouts of arduous exercise to more frequent walking, whether in the park, at work, or at home.
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