high-intensity interval training

<title>Abstract</title> <p>Badminton is a sport that engages both aerobic and anaerobic energy systems, with agility, endurance, and explosive power as its core competitive attributes. These physical qualities must be paired with advanced technical skill to produce optimal athletic performance. Currently, high-intensity interval training (HIIT) and sport-specific interval training are widely used in badminton training. However, existing research lacks sufficient comparative investigation into how high-intensity training of different durations and modalities impacts the overall physical fitness and athletic performance of badminton players, and there is a shortage of comprehensive empirical evidence to confirm the effectiveness of various training programs. This study adopted a systematic review framework combined with meta-analysis, searching multiple academic databases including PubMed, Web of Science and other sources for all relevant literature published (up to January 2026. After screening for eligible studies, we performed quantitative analysis using Review Manager 5.4 software. In total, 8 moderate-quality studies were included in this analysis, involving 202 participants aged 10–19 years. The included HIIT interventions lasted 8–10 weeks, with 2–4 sessions per week and each session lasting 30–90 minutes, while individual study sample sizes ranged from 16 to 40 participants. The results indicate that, compared with traditional badminton training, HIIT significantly improves athletes' sprinting ability (MD = 0.77, 95% CI [0.03, 0.51], P = 0.04), agility (MD = 4.60, 95% CI [4.35, 4.86], P < 0.00001), and skill performance (MD = 5.54, 95% CI [4.05, 7.03], P < 0.00001). Specifically, HIIT effectively enhances stroke technique and body position control, but it does not produce statistically significant improvements in cardiovascular endurance or explosive power indicators. In addition, the effect of HIIT on female badminton athletes remains unclear, and this constitutes an existing research gap in the current literature.</p>

matched text: “high intensity interval training”

Background Innovative and engaging exercise interventions are needed to improve cardiometabolic health and exercise adherence in young adults with obesity. Sanda, a Chinese combat sport characterized by footwork, striking combinations, defensive movements, and attack–recovery transitions, may provide a practical intermittent exercise modality when delivered in a structured and low-contact format. However, its metabolic-load characteristics and adaptive effects in individuals with obesity remain insufficiently understood. Objective This study compared the effects of 12 weeks of structured low-contact Sanda training and moderate-intensity continuous cycling training on body composition, cardiorespiratory fitness, ventilatory thresholds, and substrate oxidation profiles in young men with obesity, while describing the real-time metabolic-load distribution of both exercise modalities. Methods Thirty young men with obesity were randomly assigned to a structured Sanda training group or a moderate-intensity continuous cycling group. Both groups completed a 12-week intervention consisting of three 60-min sessions per week. Body composition was assessed before and after the intervention. A graded incremental cycling test was used to determine peak oxygen uptake, first and second ventilatory thresholds, maximal fat oxidation, and FATmax. During training sessions, oxygen uptake, carbon dioxide production, heart rate, respiratory exchange ratio, and energy expenditure were continuously monitored using a portable metabolic system. Results Both interventions significantly improved body mass, body mass index, body fat percentage, cardiorespiratory fitness, and substrate oxidation indicators. Compared with moderate-intensity continuous cycling, structured Sanda training produced greater improvements in peak oxygen uptake and second ventilatory threshold power, whereas cycling training produced larger improvements in body fat percentage, maximal fat oxidation, and FATmax. Although total session energy expenditure was broadly comparable between groups, Sanda training showed a more intermittent metabolic-load pattern, with higher peak oxygen uptake, higher peak heart rate, and a greater proportion of time with respiratory exchange ratio above 0.95. In contrast, cycling training showed a more stable moderate-intensity load distribution. Conclusion Under equal-duration intervention conditions, structured Sanda training and moderate-intensity continuous cycling both improved cardiometabolic and fitness-related outcomes in young men with obesity, but their adaptive profiles differed. Structured low-contact Sanda training may serve as an engaging combat-sport-based exercise option for improving cardiorespiratory fitness and high-intensity exercise tolerance, whereas moderate-intensity continuous cycling may be more favorable for improving fat oxidation profiles and reducing body fat. These findings support the potential value of structured Sanda training as an innovative exercise intervention for obesity-related health promotion, while highlighting the need to interpret the results as a comparison between two practical exercise modalities rather than as a fully load-matched comparison between standardized HIIT and MICT protocols.

matched text: “hiit”