Exercise training‐induced visceral fat loss in obese women: The role of training intensity and modality

Visceral fat loss in response to four‐cycle ergometer training regimens with explicit differences in exercise intensity and modality was compared. Fifty‐nine obese young women (body fat percentage ≥ 30%) were randomized to a 12‐week intervention consisting of either all‐out sprint interval training (SIT all‐out , n = 11); supramaximal SIT (SIT 120 , 120% O 2peak , n = 12); high‐intensity interval training (HIIT 90 , 90% O 2peak , n = 12), moderate‐intensity continuous training (MICT, 60% O 2peak , n = 11), or no training (CON, n = 13). The total work done per training session in SIT 120 , HIIT 90 , and MICT was confined to 200 kJ, while it was deliberately lower in SIT all‐out . The abdominal visceral fat area (AVFA) was measured through computed tomography scans. The whole‐body and regional fat mass were assessed through dual‐energy X‐ray absorptiometry. Pre‐, post‐, and 3‐hour post‐exercise serum growth hormone (GH), and epinephrine (EPI) were measured during selected training sessions. Following the intervention, similar reductions in whole‐body and regional fat mass were found in all intervention groups, while the reductions in AVFA resulting from SIT all‐out , SIT 120 , and HIIT 90 (>15 cm 2 ) were greater in comparison with MICT (<3.5 cm 2 , P < .05). The AVFA reductions among the SITs and HIIT groups were similar, and it was concomitant with the similar exercise‐induced releases of serum GH and EPI. CON variables were unchanged. These findings suggest that visceral fat loss induced by interval training at or above 90% O 2peak appeared unresponsive to the change in training intensity. Nonetheless, SIT all‐out is still the most time‐efficient strategy among the four exercise‐training regimes for controlling visceral obesity.