Effects and Moderators of High-Intensity Interval Training (HIIT) on Physiological Adaptations Among Team-Sport Athletes: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.
Xinyu Zeng, Mingyue Yin, Kai Xu et al.
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In 30 seconds
This systematic review and meta-analysis examined HIIT added to regular sport-specific training in team-sport athletes. Across 46 studies involving 1204 athletes, HIIT was associated with improvements in several aerobic and anaerobic outcomes, including maximal oxygen uptake (VO₂max; g = 0.76, 95% CI [0.61, 0.92]) and Yo-Yo intermittent recovery test performance (g = 1.02, 95% CI [0.76, 1.28]). Effects on body composition were generally unclear. Study-level analyses suggested that longer training duration was associated with greater VO₂max effects, but programme-characteristic associations require cautious interpretation.
Key findings
- Compared with sport-specific training alone, HIIT improved VO₂max (g = 0.76, 95% CI [0.61, 0.92]).
- HIIT improved Yo-Yo intermittent recovery test performance (g = 1.02, 95% CI [0.76, 1.28]).
- Positive effects were also reported for maximal aerobic power, ventilatory threshold, and 30-s Wingate peak and mean power.
- Longer training duration was associated with greater VO₂max effects; body-composition effects were generally unclear.
Why it matters
The findings indicate that adding HIIT to regular team-sport training can improve multiple measures of aerobic and anaerobic performance. The results may help frame expectations about conditioning outcomes, while the generally unclear body-composition effects distinguish performance adaptations from changes in body composition. Evidence about which programme characteristics optimise outcomes is less certain than the overall performance findings.
What to keep in mind
Associations between programme characteristics and outcomes came from study-level meta-regression and should be interpreted cautiously; several programme-variable estimates were imprecise.