A new study reveals that HIIT, a very cardio physical activity, would have the same health benefits whether it is practiced on dry land or in water.
- Adults ages 18 to 64 should spend at least 150 to 300 minutes per week in moderate-intensity endurance activity, or engage in at least 75 to 150 minutes of sustained-intensity endurance activity (or a combination of the two formulas).
- HIIT (High Intensity Interval Training) consists of performing a series of movements in a few minutes at high intensity, with very short, even active, break times. This is, for example, 45 seconds of burpees followed by 15 seconds of rest, all repeated five times.
- According to one study, “aquatic HIIT may be as beneficial as land-based HIIT, providing people with chronic illnesses a more effective environment.”
Very popular for several years, HIIT (High Intensity Interval Training) is a sports program which consists of performing a series of movements in a few minutes at high intensity, with very short break times. short, even active. This is, for example, 45 seconds of burpees followed by 15 seconds of rest, all repeated five times.
Particularly effective for strengthening muscles and gaining endurance, HIIT would even be just as beneficial when practiced… in water, known to relieve pressure on the joints. At least that’s what a new study published in the journal suggests BMJ Open Sport & Exercise Medicine.
868 volunteers underwent high-intensity physical training
To arrive at this finding, researchers from the University of Oslo (Norway) and the University of Melbourne (Australia) compiled no fewer than 18 previous studies that compared how aquatic HIIT (AHIIT) improved exercise capacity of participants (measured by oxygen consumption, walking examinations and physical fitness tests) compared to HIIT performed on dry land, but also compared to moderate intensity aquatic physical activity , or even the absence of physical activity. In total, a cohort of 868 people, 74% of whom were women, was studied, all suffering from various health problems (back pain, arthritis, type 2 diabetes, multiple sclerosis, lung disease, etc.) .
Differences between groups were then measured in terms of standardized mean differences (SMD). Typically, an SMD of 0.2 to 0.5 indicates that AHIIT had a slight effect compared to other types of exercise, 0.5 to 0.8 a moderate effect, and 0.8 or greater an effect important.
Aquatic HIIT as beneficial as classic HIIT
Result, aquatic HIIT moderately improved the volunteers’ exercise capacity compared to no sport (SMD 0.78), and slightly improved it compared to moderate intensity aquatic physical activity (0 .45). And while the benefits of aquatic HIIT matched those of land-based HIIT, participants reported fewer adverse events, such as injuries, with water HIIT.
“AHIIT may be as beneficial as land-based HIIT, providing people with chronic illnesses a more effective environment to begin this type of high-intensity activity”conclude the researchers in a communicatedspecifying that the natural support and buoyancy of water “can facilitate this efficiency”.
