Publication: The roles of psychophysiological stress and cognitive markers on perceptual responses during low volume high intensity interval exercise in overweight-to-obese adults
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Date
2025-12
Authors
Ruohan, Zhang
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Abstract
The increasing prevalence of overweight or obesity and physical inactivity poses a major global health challenge. Although low-volume high-intensity interval exercise (Lv-HIIE) has gained acceptance as a time-efficient exercise strategy, the mechanisms influencing perceptual responses to Lv-HIIE remain poorly understood in overweight-to-obese adults. This study employed a within-subjects repeated-measures longitudinal intervention design to investigate how psychophysiological stress markers and cognitive traits shape perceptual responses during a 10-week Lv-HIIE programme. Thirty-two healthy participants (11 men and 21 women; aged 28.3 ± 4.9 years; body mass index = 28.21 ± 2.93; physical activity (PA) levels = 518±334 MET-min/week) completed 30 Lv-HIIE supervised sessions (3 per week). Each session included 6 to 10 cycles of 1-minute work intervals at 90% of maximal aerobic speed, interspersed with 75 seconds of self-paced recovery. Blood samples were collected before, immediately after, and 30 minutes after exercise for Sessions 1, 15, and 30 to measure ACTH and cortisol. Cognitive markers were represented by two stable cognitive traits; goal orientation is assessed using the Goal Orientation in Exercise Measure (GOEM), and personality hardiness is assessed using the Connor–Davidson Resilience Scale–Revised (CDRS-R) before the intervention. Physical health and cardiorespiratory fitness were assessed at pre-, mid-, and post-intervention. Perceptual responses were recorded throughout the intervention, with enjoyment assessed at the end of sessions1, 15, and 30. Data were analysed using repeated-measures ANOVA, paired-samples t-tests, Pearson correlation, and multiple linear regression to examine changes, associations, and interaction effects. Significant improvements were observed in physical health and cardiorespiratory fitness following the 10-week Lv-HIIE programme. Working heart rate (HR), HR recovery, and RPE progressively decreased, while affective valence, felt arousal, perceived recovery and post-exercise enjoyment significantly improved in Sessions 15 and 30 compared with Session 1 (all P<0.05). Significant associations were observed among perceptual variables across the intervention. ACTH and cortisol displayed dynamic session-dependent changes, with ACTH showing greater acute-phase variation. Both markers were significantly associated with perceptual responses. Higher levels of personality hardiness and goal orientation were also associated with more favourable perceptual patterns. Interaction effects between stress markers and cognitive traits influenced working HR, affective valence and perceived exertion, with cortisol generally playing a dominant role. Lv-HIIE appears to be a time-efficient and psychologically adaptive strategy for overweight-to-obese adults, shaped by the interplay between psychophysiological stress markers and cognitive markers.