Eur J Appl Physiol
DOI 10.1007/s00421-017-3636-7
ORIGINAL ARTICLE
Acute effects of high‑intensity interval training
and moderate‑intensity continuous training sessions
on cardiorespiratory parameters in healthy young men
Gustavo Zaccaria Schaun1 · Cristine Lima Alberton1 · Diego Oliveira Ribeiro1 ·
Stephanie Santana Pinto1 
Received: 28 November 2016 / Accepted: 5 May 2017
© Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg 2017
Abstract  compared to CONT (55.99 ± 10.20; 13.43 ± 10.45 kcal,
Purpose  The aim of the present study was to compare the
energy expenditure (EE) during and after two treadmill
protocols, high-intensity interval training (HIIT) and mod-
erate continuous training (CONT), in young adult men.
Methods The sample was comprised by 26 physically
active men aged between 18 and 35 years engaged in aero-
bic training programs. They were divided into two groups:
HIIT (n = 14) which performed eight 20 s bouts at 130%
of the velocity associated with the maximal oxygen con-
sumption on a treadmill with 10 s of passive rest, or CONT
(n = 12) which performed 30 min running on a treadmill at
a submaximal velocity equivalent to 90–95% of the heart
rate associated with the anaerobic threshold. Data related
to oxygen consumption (V̇ O2) and EE were measured dur-
ing the protocols and the excess post-exercise oxygen con-
sumption (EPOC) was calculated for both sessions.
Results  No difference was found between groups
for mean V̇ O2 (HIIT: 2.84 ± 0.46 L min−1; CONT:
2.72  ± 0.43 L min−1) and EE per minute (HIIT:
14.36 ± 2.34 kcal min−1; CONT: 13.21 ± 2.08 kcal min−1)
during protocols. Regarding total EE during session,
CONT resulted in higher values compared to HIIT
(390.45  ± 65.15; 55.20 ± 9.33 kcal, respectively). How-
ever, post-exercise EE and EPOC values were higher after
HIIT (69.31 ± 10.88; 26.27 ± 2.28 kcal, respectively)
Communicated by Guido Ferretti.
* Gustavo Zaccaria Schaun
gustavoschaun@hotmail.com
1 type of protocol employed, as there may be variations in
Neuromuscular Assessment Laboratory, Physical Education
School, Federal University of Pelotas, Rua Luís de Camões,
625, Três Vendas, Pelotas, RS, Brazil
respectively).
Conclusion These data suggest that supramaximal HIIT
has a higher impact on EE and EPOC in the early phase of
recovery when compared to CONT.
Keywords  Exercise · Interval training · Continuous
training · Oxygen uptake · Energy expenditure · EPOC
Abbreviations
ANOVA Analysis of variance
CE Caloric equivalent
CONT Moderate-intensity continuous training
EE Energy expenditure
EPOC Excess post-exercise oxygen consumption
HIIT High-intensity interval training
HR Heart rate
HRmax Maximal heart rate
iV̇ O2max Intensity associated with maximal oxygen
consumption
V̇ O2 Maximal oxygen consumption
VT2 Second ventilatory threshold
Introduction
Aerobic exercises play an important role to increase
energy expenditure (EE) during or immediately after
exercise sessions (Borsheim and Bahr 2003). Therefore,
it is relevant to investigate the optimal exercise volume
and intensity to reach a time-efficient EE. In this con-
text, EE derived from an exercise session is related to the
EE based on manipulation of both its volume and inten-
sity (Borsheim and Bahr 2003; LaForgia et al. 2006) in
13

addition to exercise mode performed (Borsheim and
Bahr 2003). In this context, sessions EE can be split into
the following: (1) energy expended during the session
itself and (2) energy demanded after it, which is directly
influenced by excess post-exercise oxygen consumption
(EPOC; Gaesser and Brooks 1984) as both contribute
to a considerable volume to the maintenance of a nega-
tive daily energetic balance (Borsheim and Bahr 2003).
Researchers suggest that the increased metabolic demand
during recovery, expressed by EPOC, seems to be higher
after intermittent activities when compared to lower
intensity continuous isocaloric ones (Cunha et al. 2016).
Nevertheless, there are still conflicting results regarding
the influence of exercise mode, intensity, volume, and
duration in EPOC (Greer et al. 2015).
This way, two training methods have been highlighted
and compared in the literature: high-intensity interval
training (HIIT), in which exercise volume may be low
with exercises performed at high intensity interspersed
with recovery intervals (Buchheit and Laursen 2013) and
moderate-intensity continuous training (CONT), in which
a higher exercise volume is used with a relatively lower
intensity when compared to HIIT.
Previously, sprint interval exercise (i.e., 4 × 30 s Win-
gate-based) was shown to elicit similar oxygen consump-
tion (V̇ O2) and EE post-exercise when compared to 30 min
(~70% iV̇ O2max) and 60 min (~65% iV̇ O2peak) of CONT
along 30 min (Williams et al. 2013) and 24 h post-exer-
cise (Hazell et al. 2012). This is supported by Skelly et al.
(2014) who also found the same result when comparing
an HIIT protocol (10 × 60 s at 90% H ­ Rmax interspersed
with 60 s rest) to a CONT one (50 min at ~70% H ­ Rmax)
up to 24 h post-exercise. On the other hand, CONT tended
to present a higher EE during the session itself in all the
above-mentioned studies (Hazell et al. 2012; Skelly et al.
2014; Williams et al. 2013).
Despite this fact, submaximal or maximal HIIT proto-
cols examined up to the present generally have similar
duration or workload compared to CONT (LaForgia et al.
1997) and investigated supramaximal protocols commonly
employed relatively long recovery periods (Hazell et al.
2012; Williams et al. 2013). Within this context, evaluation
of time-efficient HIIT protocols may highlight interesting
facts in understanding EE and EPOC. Having said that, the
aim of the present study was to compare the acute effects
of a very low-volume supramaximal HIIT protocol and a
standard 30-min moderate-intensity continuous session on
EE and EPOC along 30 min in young healthy men, which
was not performed yet. It was hypothesized that total EE
and EE during session would be greater following CONT
compared with HIIT, whereas session EE per minute, post-
exercise EE and EPOC would be higher following HIIT
compared to CONT.
13
Eur J Appl Physiol
Methods
Subjects
Twenty-six healthy physically active men
(23.3  ± 2.9 years; 76.7 ± 12.6 kg; 1.76 ± 0.06 cm; and
V̇ O2max = 45.9 ± 5.8 ml kg−1 min−1) volunteered to par-
ticipate in the study. This study was part of a larger research
in which participants were already randomly assigned
(simple randomization) to one of two experimental groups:
HIIT (n = 14) or CONT (n = 12). Therefore, we opted not
to use a cross-over design to avoid bias, since participants
were already accustomed to one protocol. Specifically, sub-
jects were engaged in training, three times per week, for
less than 30 days at the time of the assessments. All were
nonsmokers and did not present previous history of cardio-
vascular, endocrine, metabolic, or neuromuscular diseases
as well as could not be using any type of medication that
could interfere in the cardiorespiratory or neuromuscular
systems.
Prior to any procedure, all participants read, agreed, and
signed an informed consent which was previously approved
by the Federal University of Pelotas Research Ethics Com-
mittee (CAAE 49499415.0.0000.5313).
Procedures
For the present study, participants attended three separate
sessions at the university laboratory.
Physical and anthropometrical measures
On the first day, weight and height were assessed using a
digital scale (FILIZOLA, São Paulo, Brazil) and stadiom-
eter, respectively, to calculate subject’s body mass index
(BMI). In addition, seven-site skinfold thickness (chest,
axilla, triceps, subscapular, abdominal, suprailium, and
thigh) were measured with a skinfold caliper (CESCORF,
Porto Alegre, Brazil). Based on the sum of skinfolds, body
density was estimated (Jackson and Pollock 1978) and
body fat calculated (Siri 1993). Skinfolds were measured
in circuit, totaling a maximum of three attempts per skin-
fold. Finally, subjects were familiarized with the labora-
tory, treadmill, and masks which they would perform the
following procedures.
Incremental test measures
On a second occasion, separated by at least 48 h from the
previous one, subjects performed a maximal incremental
test on a treadmill to determine V̇ O2max and the corre-
sponding intensities for the HIIT and CONT protocols. The
Eur J Appl Physiol
test started at 6 km h−1 for 5 min (warm-up) which was fol-
lowed by subsequent 1 km h−1 increments every min until
volitional exhaustion.
Throughout the test, expiratory gases were directly col-
lected and analyzed using a breath-by-breath portable
spirometer with a frequency of acquisition set for the aver-
age of every three breaths (VO2000, MedGraphics, Ann
Arbor, USA), which was calibrated according to manu-
facturer’s specifications before every test. The maximum
V̇ O2 (ml kg−1 min−1) was considered as the mean 30 s of
the last completed stage and second ventilatory threshold
­(VT2) was determined by the ventilation vs. intensity curve
and confirmed by the ventilatory C ­ O2 equivalent curve (V̇E
/V̇ CO2; Wasserman et al. 1973). Regarding threshold detec-
tion, it was performed by visual inspection by two experi-
enced physiologists in a blinded and independently fashion
(Reinhard et al. 1979) as previously described (Alberton
et al. 2014). When there was no agreement on the deter-
mination of the break point, a third physiologist was
employed. In addition, heart rate (HR) was assessed using a
­Polar® monitor (RS800CX, Finland).
Incremental tests were considered valid when at least
two of the following criterions were achieved: (1) plateau
in V̇ O2 despite an increase in exercise intensity; (2) res-
piratory exchange ratio higher than 1.10; and (3) heart rate
predicted by age (220 age) achieved (Ferreti 2014; Howley
et al. 1995). In addition, the day before test participants
were asked not to perform vigorous physical activity, not
to consume any stimulant beverages and to sleep at least
8 h.
Exercise measures
On a third occasion, participants performed their assigned
protocol. First, they remained seated for 30-min pre-exer-
cise. After, subjects performed their respective protocol
and, again, remained seated for 30-min post-exercise. Dur-
ing all the procedures, expiratory gases were collected and
V̇ O2 (L min−1) was measured for posterior determination
of the EE in each protocol, as well as before and after them.
Furthermore, pre-exercise EE was subtracted from post-
exercise EE to determine EPOC.
Different caloric equivalents (CE) were used for the
determination of EE based on the moment and protocol
performed (Wilmore et al. 1978). For the CONT group, a
CE of 4.85 kcal L−1 of ­O2 was used on the pre-exercise,
exercise, and post-exercise moments. As for the HIIT
group, the same CE was used on the pre- and post-exercise
(i.e., 4.85 kcal L−1); however, during the exercise, a CE of
5.05 kcal L−1 was adopted due to the high intensity arising
from the session. In addition, we chose to perform the cal-
culation of the area corresponding to the V̇ O2 (L) through
integration, as already frequently employed (Jacobsen et al.
2005). In this regard, for both protocols (CONT or HIIT)
V̇ O2, area was calculated (in liters) according to the spe-
cific moment (i.e., 30-min pre-; CONT, HIIT; 30-min post)
and was multiplied by the corresponding CE.
Exercise protocols
HIIT group performed a standard warm-up corresponding
to 90–95% ­VT2 for 4 min. Following a 3-min passive inter-
val, participants performed eight 20 s bouts on a motorized
treadmill (KIKOS KX 9000, São Paulo, Brazil) at 130% of
the velocity associated with V̇ O2max interspersed with 10 s
passive recovery between bouts. As for the CONT group,
subjects exercised on the same treadmill for 30 min with
an intensity corresponding to 90–95% of the HR associated
with ­VT2.
Statistical analysis
Descriptive and inferential statistics were used for data
analysis. After testing the normality of the data with Sha-
piro–Wilk’s test, data were presented as mean and stand-
ard deviations (±SD). For V̇ O2, EE and EPOC comparison
between HIIT and CONT groups, a t test for independent
measures was applied. Moreover, an ANOVA two-way for
repeated measures followed by Bonferroni post hoc was
applied to evaluate the EE between moments and protocols.
In addition, a value of α = 0.05 was adopted and all tests
were performed in the SPSS 20.0 program.
Results
Initially, no significant difference was identified between
groups regarding V̇ O2 at rest (p > 0.05), which corre-
sponded to 0.29 ± 0.07 and 0.30 ± 0.04 L min−1 for
CONT and HIIT groups, respectively, totaling 8.78 ± 2.02
and 9.21 ± 1.61 L of ­O2 over the 30-min period. Similar
behavior has been verified for all other descriptive variables
(Table 1). All t tests for independent variables revealed that
there were no statistical differences between these variables
(all p > 0.05) at the onset of the study. In addition, it should
be noted that all subjects reached at least two out of the
three criteria for V̇ O2max attainment during the incremen-
tal test.
Results regarding exercise and post-exercise compari-
sons between sessions are presented in Table 2. Differences
between protocols were observed for absolute V̇ O2 and EE
during and after session, as well as for V̇ O2 and EE per
minute after the session. Absolute V̇ O2 and EE during exer-
cise were higher in CONT when compared to HIIT, while
HIIT presented higher absolute and per minute V̇ O2 and EE
13
 Eur J Appl Physiol

Table 1  Physical and anthropometrical characteristics of a healthy

and physically active men’s sample according to group (n = 26)

CONT (n = 12) HIIT (n = 14)

Mean ±s Mean ±s

Age (years) 23.3 ±3.1 23.3 ±2.9

Body weight (kg) 79.9 ±12.6 73.8 ±12.6
Height (m) 1.79 ±5.0 1.75 ±4.8
BMI (kg/m2) 25.0 ±3.3 24.0 ±3.4
BF (%) 17.0 ±6.7 15.9 ±5.3
∑Skinfolds (mm) 127.5 ±51.5 108.5 ±39.3
V̇ O2max (ml kg−1 min−1) 47.5 ±6.9 44.5 ±4.4
Fig. 1  Energy expenditure between moments according to protocol
CONT moderate-intensity continuous training session, HIIT high- performed. CONT moderate-intensity continuous training session
intensity interval training session, BMI body mass index, BF percent- (n = 12), HIIT high-intensity interval training session (n = 14), Pre
age of body fat, ∑Skinfolds sum of seven-site skinfold thickness, twenty-fifth minute at rest, Exercise last minute of exercise session,
V̇ O2max maximal oxygen consumption. No statistical difference Post 5 fifth minute post-exercise, Post 25 twenty-fifth minute post-
between groups was identified exercise. *Significant difference between protocols (p ≤ 0.01), †Sig-
nificant difference from exercise to the other moments (Pre, Post 5,
and Post 25) in both protocols (p < 0.05), ‡Significant difference from
Post 5 to the other moments in the HIIT protocol (p < 0.05). Values
Table 2  Comparisons of oxygen consumption (V̇ O2), energy expend- represent the mean from all the subjects’ instantaneous values over
iture (EE), and excess post-exercise oxygen consumption (EPOC) the corresponding minute
according to protocol in healthy young man (n = 26)

CONT (n = 12) HIIT (n = 14)

Mean ±s Mean ±s descriptive V̇ O2 (a) and EE (b) pattern during the 30-min
post-exercise period according to protocol performed.
V̇ O2 exercise (L O
­ 2) 80.50 13.43 10.45* 1.48
V̇ O2 exercise (L O2 min ) −1 2.68 0.45 2.73 0.46
V̇ O2 post (L ­O2) 11.55 2.10 14.29* 2.25
V̇ O2 post (L ­O2 min−1) 0.39 0.07 0.48* 0.08 Discussion
EE exercise (kcal) 390.45 65.15 52.78* 7.50
EE exercise (kcal min−1) 13.02 2.17 13.20 1.87 The main findings of the present study were the higher
EE post (kcal) 55.99 10.20 69.31* 10.88 V̇ O2, EE, and EPOC values during the 30 min immedi-
EE post (kcal min−1) 1.87 0.34 2.31* 0.36 ately after HIIT in comparison with CONT session, despite
EPOC (L ­O2) 2.77 2.15 5.41* 1.30 its extremely short volume. In addition, it was observed a
EPOC (kcal) 13.43 10.45 26.27* 6.28
greater total EE during CONT session, prescribed by %HR
corresponding to ­VT2, when compared to supramaximal
CONT moderate-intensity continuous training session, HIIT high- HIIT. Moreover, although exercise intensity is indicated
intensity interval training session
as a critical factor for a prolonged component of EPOC
* Significant difference between protocols (p ≤ 0.005) (Bahr et al. 1992), in the present study, such behavior was
not observed after our HIIT protocol, since both groups
post-exercise. Moreover, a greater EPOC was verified after returned to their resting values within 30-min post-session.
HIIT when compared to CONT. This fact demonstrates that in extremely short supramaxi-
When considering EE in relation to values at rest mal protocols, the volume can indeed play an important
(Fig.  1), it was observed that CONT already had similar role in EPOC duration.
values to the resting condition on the fifth minute after the Regarding EE during exercise sessions, values found
protocol (p > 0.05). However, HIIT had not returned to are in agreement with previous studies. Smith and Mc
resting values at this point (p = 0.001), but only in the 25th Naughton (1993) assessed young men and women who
minute (p > 0.05). Although no difference was identified in pedaled at 70% V̇ O2max during 30 min and found an EE of
the mean EE between protocols (HIIT 52.78 ± 7.50 kcal; approximately 379 kcal (78.2 L ­O2). Similar values were
CONT 390.45 ± 65.15 kcal) during the sessions (Table 1), also presented by Matsuo et al. (2012a), which reported
Fig.  1 shows that on the last minute of the exercise ses- an EE of 351 kcal (71.1 L O ­ 2) after 30-min cycling at
sion, HIIT was promoting significantly greater EE when 60–65% iV̇ O2max. Regarding HIIT, the more similar
compared to CONT (p  = 0.011). Figure 2 presents the investigations identified in the literature were of Matsuo

13
Eur J Appl Physiol

Fig. 2  Descriptive oxygen
consumption (a) and energy
expenditure (b) results
(mean ± s) during the 30-min
post-exercise period between
moderate-intensity continu-
ous training session (CONT;
n = 12) and high-intensity
interval training session (HIIT;
n = 14) protocols. Rest value is
represented by a continuous line
corresponding to the mean value
of both protocols, since there
were no differences between
them during rest

et al. (2012a, b), in which subjects performed seven 30 s
bouts at 120% iV̇ O2max interspersed by 15 s passive rest
on a cycle ergometer, resulting in an EE equal to 77.8 kcal
(14.5 L ­O2) during exercise session, while our HIIT group
presented an EE corresponding to 52.8 kcal (10.5 L O ­ 2).
Such difference in EE between studies, although small in
absolute terms, represents a ~32% higher EE when com-
pared to our results.
Three possible explanations could be: (1) difference
in total exercise volume performed, since Matsuo et al.
(2012a, b) protocol was composed by 210 s of effort
(3.5 min) compared to 160 s (2.7 min) in the present
study; (2) a greater prevalence of eccentric actions dur-
ing running compared to cycling, which could also result
in elastic energy storage due to stretch-shortening cycle
(Poole and Jones 2012); (3) difference between V̇ O2max
of both study groups (47.5 vs. 52.0 ml kg−1 min−1), con-
sidering that a higher cardiorespiratory conditioning is
related to faster V̇ O2 adjustment (Poole and Jones 2012),
which could be extremely important in view of the short
duration of these protocols. In this regard, these factors
could overlap the effect of the higher intensity employed
in our HIIT protocol (i.e., 130 vs. 120% iV̇ O2max).
With respect to the comparison between protocols, a
higher total EE during CONT when compared to HIIT
was already expected. Previous studies have shown that
when session volume (i.e., session duration and/or effort
time) is similar between workouts, those performed at
higher intensity generally induce higher EE (Borsheim
and Bahr 2003; McGarvey et al. 2005; Smith and Mc
Naughton 1993). However, when high-intensity sessions,
HIIT in particular, are conducted with reduced volume
in relation to CONT, absolute EE from CONT tends to
be greater (Matsuo et al. 2012a, b; Skelly et al. 2014).
In contrast to absolute values, when comparing mean val-
ues of both V̇ O2 and EE per minute between protocols

13

(Table  2), significant differences were not observed.
This result is conflicting with values reported in Fig. 1,
which demonstrated difference between groups for EE
during the last minute of exercise. Thus, considering the
higher intensity employed during HIIT protocol, it should
be expected that this would result in a greater absolute
V̇ O2 and hence higher V̇ O2 and EE per minute when
compared to CONT protocol. However, extremely low
volume employed in the HIIT protocol (less than 4 min)
may have prevented subjects from reaching and maintain-
ing a higher V̇ O2 throughout a great portion of the ses-
sion. This notion is supported by previous investigation
comparing the performance of supramaximal protocols
(Muniz-Pumares et al. 2016).
In regards of the post-session period, greater impact
imposed by HIIT protocol when compared to CONT,
both in absolute and relative terms, was observed which
reflected in greater EPOC after HIIT. These results are
consistent to a number of investigations that compared
EPOC for these two training protocols (Frey et al. 1993;
Greer et al. 2015; LaForgia et al. 1997; Larsen et al.
2014; Malatesta et al. 2009; Matsuo et al. 2012b; Met-
calfe et al. 2015). Larsen et al. (2014) found EPOC along
~48 min with twice the magnitude (2.9 vs. 1.4 L ­O2)
after HIIT (4 × 4:3 min 85–95%HRmax and 70%HRmax)
when compared to a CONT session (47 min 70%HRmax).
Such results are in agreement with Matsuo et al. (2012b),
who observed a 6.8 L ­O2 EPOC along 180 min follow-
ing a sprint-based HIIT workout on a cycle ergometer
(7× 30:15 s 120% iV̇ O2max), significantly higher than
a longer HIIT protocol (4.5 L O ­ 2; 3× 3:2 min 85–90%
iV̇ O2max and 60% iV̇ O2max), and both higher than
CONT (2.9 L O ­ 2; 40 min 60–65% iV̇ O2max). In terms of
EE, values observed in our protocol are also very similar
to those verified by Matsuo et al. (2012b), with 32 kcal
for the sprint-based HIIT and 13 kcal for CONT group.
Nevertheless, one study found no difference between
HIIT (7× 2:3 min 90% iV̇ O2max and 30% iV̇ O2max )
and CONT (30 min 60% iV̇ O2max), with EPOC val-
ues of 7.6 vs. 7.0 L ­O2, respectively (McGarvey et al.
2005). However, HIIT average intensity corresponded to
60.5% V̇ O2max, and it was previously shown that EPOC
increased exponentially with increasing intensity (Gore
and Withers 1990), especially when it approaches or
exceeds 100% of iV̇ O2max (Hagberg et al. 1980).
Concerning EPOC duration, as can be observed in
Fig. 1, CONT group had already returned to basal levels
within 5 min after the end of the session, while in HIIT,
EE returned to baseline values between the 6th and 25th
minutes. These behaviors can also be observed in Fig. 2,
which demonstrate a, descriptively only, faster EPOC
reduction for CONT at approximately the fourth and
13
Eur J Appl Physiol
fifth minutes, while HIIT remained a little bit higher for
a longer period. As previously explained, intensity has
been shown to be able to explain approximately 45.5% of
variation in EPOC compared to only 8.9% for effort dura-
tion (Gore and Withers 1990). Thus, intensity employed
in the present study during HIIT (i.e., 130% iV̇ O2max)
when compared to CONT (90–95%HR corresponding to
­VT2) may have been determinant to this result (LaForgia
et al. 1997). Some previous investigations also presented
reduced EPOC durations after CONT. Olmedo (2011)
and Dawson et al. (1996) found EPOC to be only 9 and
14 min long after 30 min at 65% iV̇ O2max, respectively.
A third study (Townsend et al. 2013) also showed simi-
lar results, ~6 min after 30 min of running at 60% HRre-
serve. Such differences may be associated with the differ-
ent prescriptions of these protocols. As in Dawson et al.
(1996) study, ­VT2 of the subjects in our CONT group was
assessed and exercise intensity was prescribed based on a
percentage below it. It had been previously demonstrated
that this type of prescription is a more robust method,
which allows proper individualization of exercise load
when compared to % iV̇ O2max, since the latter does
not permit differentiation between moderate and intense
domains (Tschakert and Hofmann 2013; Wolpern et al.
2015). Therefore, in the studies previously mentioned, it
is not possible to state that all subjects were training at a
moderate domain and this, in turn, may have biased and
actually prolonged subjects mean EPOC duration.
Regarding EPOC duration after HIIT, studies that
reported EPOC lasting from 17 min (Olmedo 2011) up
to 12 h (Greer et al. 2015) were found. In this sense, the
majority of studies that had active exercise volume and/
or duration greater than the present one (i.e., 2 min and
40 s) resulted in longer EPOC (Bahr et al. 1992; Fried-
man et al. 2012; Greer et al. 2015; LaForgia et al. 1997;
Larsen et al. 2014; McGarvey et al. 2005; Metcalfe et al.
2015; Skelly et al. 2014). Therefore, investigations of
extremely low volume or reduced effort duration (i.e.,
more similar to the one employed in our protocol) were
the ones that showed the lowest values. This is the case of
seven 30-s cycling bouts at 120% iV̇ O2max interspersed
by 15 s rest (Matsuo et al. 2012a, b) or two sets of three
20-s all-out bouts interspersed by 2 min of recovery
(Friedman et al. 2012) leading to EPOC duration close
to 30 and ~49 min, respectively. Furthermore, Bahr et al.
(1992) had already demonstrated a linear relationship
between EPOC duration after comparing supramaximal
HIIT protocols composed by one, two, or three 2-min
bouts at 108% iV̇ O2max (i.e., 30 min, 60 min, and 4 h,
respectively), whereas LaForgia et al. (1997) found
EPOC close to 9 h after completion of 20 sets of 1:2 min
at 105% iV̇ O2max.
Eur J Appl Physiol
These results agree with Borsheim and Bahr (2003),
who argue that exercise intensity and session duration
are synergistic and not additive, both being important
to determine magnitude and duration of EPOC. Moreo-
ver, differences in the position used to evaluate subjects
(e.g., seated or supine position) hinder comparisons of
EPOC values between studies. Another important aspect
is related to investigations that found EPOC with longer
durations, i.e., >9 h (for example, LaForgia et al. 1997).
During these studies, subjects were allowed to feed them-
selves during post-exercise resting period, a factor that
could overestimate EPOC due to the thermic effect of
consumed food.
In addition, the ways in which resting values were pro-
cessed and analyzed could also interfere in EPOC duration.
McGarvey et al. (2005) when comparing CONT and HIIT
protocols found EPOC durations corresponding to 50.8 and
53 min, respectively, when using the one standard devia-
tion technique. However, when the same analysis was per-
formed based on the 5-min technique, EPOC was 88.8 and
94.9 min for the same data, a difference of almost 50%.
This could potentially explain why in CONT studies with
lower intensities than those of the present study greater
EPOC durations were found.
Thereby, the present study demonstrated that, although
a prolonged EPOC after supramaximal HIIT was expected
when compared to CONT, there seems to be a kind of
threshold in volume required for the development of a
longer component of EPOC (Borsheim and Bahr 2003),
since it had already returned to baseline levels within
25 min. In addition, our results agree with the literature:
(1) as to the magnitude of EPOC, nearly twice in the HIIT
group (5.41 vs. 2.77 L O ­ 2), although an extremely short
duration was employed and (2) as also for the fact that this
result caused by intensity was more expressive during the
fast component of the curve (i.e., within the first hour; Bahr
et al. 1992). Therefore, our results indicate that when the
main objective is to produce a higher total EE, EE corre-
sponding to EPOC, even in supramaximal session, has
a relatively small magnitude (HIIT: 26.27 kcal; CONT:
13.43 kcal) and emphasis should be directed into spend-
ing energy during the exercise session itself and not after it
(LaForgia et al. 2006).
Finally, we suggest that future investigations evaluate
different supramaximal HIIT protocols with similar inten-
sities but differing in terms of volume (i.e., number of
sets) to determine if in fact, there is a duration threshold
that results in a substantially longer EPOC after extremely
short duration supramaximal HIIT protocols. Furthermore,
future studies should address possible gender differences
between EPOC in these protocols while also assessing the
prolonged EPOC component, as it was not performed in
the present investigation.
Conclusions
Based on the results presented, our data suggest that a time-
efficient supramaximal HIIT protocol (~10-min total ses-
sion duration) has a higher impact on EE and EPOC in the
early phase of recovery when compared to CONT protocol.
Acknowledgements The authors would like to thank all subjects
who took part in the study for their genuine effort.
Compliance with ethical standards 
Conflict of interest  The authors attest that they have no conflict of
interest.
Ethical approval All procedures performed in studies involving
human participants were in accordance with the ethical standards of
the institutional and/or national research committee and with the 1964
Helsinki declaration and its later amendments or comparable ethical
standards.
Informed consent  Informed consent was obtained from all individual
participants included in the study.
References
Alberton CL, Pinto SS, Antunes AH, Cadore EL, Finatto P, Tartaruga
MP, Kruel LF (2014) Maximal and ventilatory thresholds cardi-
orespiratory responses to three water aerobic exercises compared
with treadmill on land. J Strength Cond Res 28:1679–1687.
doi:10.1519/JSC.0000000000000304
Bahr R, Gronnerod O, Sejersted OM (1992) Effect of supramaximal
exercise on excess postexercise O
­ 2 consumption. Med Sci Sports
Exerc 24:66–71
Borsheim E, Bahr R (2003) Effect of exercise intensity, duration
and mode on post-exercise oxygen consumption. Sports Med
33:1037–1060. doi:10.2165/00007256-200333140-00002
Buchheit M, Laursen PB (2013) High-intensity interval train-
ing, solutions to the programming puzzle: part I: cardiopul-
monary emphasis. Sports Med 43:313–338. doi:10.1007/
s40279-013-0029-x
Cunha FA, Midgley AW, McNaughton LR, Farinatti PT (2016) Effect
of continuous and intermittent bouts of isocaloric cycling and
running exercise on excess postexercise oxygen consumption. J
Sci Med Sport 19:187–192. doi:10.1016/j.jsams.2015.02.004
Dawson B, Straton S, Randall N (1996) Oxygen consumption dur-
ing recovery from prolonged submaximal cycling below the
anaerobic threshold. J Sports Med Phys Fit 36:77–84
Ferreti G (2014) Maximal oxygen consumption in healthy humans:
theories and facts. Eur J Appl Physiol 114:2007–2036.
doi:10.1007/s00421-014-2911-0
Frey GC, Byrnes WC, Mazzeo RS (1993) Factors influ-
encing excess postexercise oxygen consumption in
trained and untrained women. Metabolism 42:822–828.
doi:10.1016/0026-0495(93)90053-Q
Friedman RA, Navalta JW, Fedor EA, Kell HB, Lyons TS, Arnett SW,
Schafer MA (2012) Repeated high-intensity Wingate cycle bouts
influence markers of lymphocyte migration but not apoptosis.
Appl Physiol Nutr Metab 37:241–246. doi:10.1139/h11-156
13

Gaesser GA, Brooks GA (1984) Metabolic bases of excess post-
exercise oxygen consumption: a review. Med Sci Sports Exerc
16:29–43. doi:10.1249/00005768-198401000-00008
Gore CJ, Withers RT (1990) The effect of exercise intensity and
duration on the oxygen deficit and excess post-exercise oxygen
consumption. Eur J Appl Physiol 60:169–174. doi:10.1007/
BF00713508
Greer BK, Sirithienthad P, Moffatt RJ, Marcello RT, Panton LB
(2015) EPOC comparison between isocaloric bouts of steady-
state aerobic, intermittent aerobic, and resistance training. Res
Q Exerc Sport 86:190–195. doi:10.1080/02701367.2014.999190
Hagberg JM, Mullin JP, Nagle FJ (1980) Effect of work intensity and
duration on recovery ­O2. J Appl Physiol Respir Environ Exerc
Physiol 48:540–544
Hazell TJ, Olver TD, Hamilton CD, Lemon PW (2012) Two min-
utes of sprint-interval exercise elicits 24-hr oxygen consump-
tion similar to that of 30 min of continuous endurance exer-
cise. Int J Sport Nutr Exerc Metab 22:276–283. doi:10.1123/
ijsnem.22.4.276
Howley ET, Bassett DR Jr, Welch HG (1995) Criteria for maximal
oxygen uptake: review and commentary. Med Sci Sports Exerc
27:1292–1301
Jackson AS, Pollock ML (1978) Generalized equations for predicting
body density of men. Br J Nutr 40:497–504
Jacobsen DJ, Bailey BW, LeCheminant JD, Hill JO, Mayo MS, Don-
nelly JE (2005) A comparison of three methods of analyzing
post-exercise oxygen consumption. Int J Sports Med 26(1):34–
38. doi:10.1055/s-2004-815819
LaForgia J, Withers RT, Shipp NJ, Gore CJ (1997) Comparison of
energy expenditure elevations after submaximal and supramaxi-
mal running. J Appl Physiol 82:661–666
LaForgia J, Withers RT, Gore CJ (2006) Effects of exercise intensity
and duration on the excess post-exercise oxygen consumption. J
Sports Sci 24:1247–1264. doi:10.1080/02640410600552064
Larsen I, Welde B, Martins C, Tjonna AE (2014) High- and moder-
ate-intensity aerobic exercise and excess post-exercise oxygen
consumption in men with metabolic syndrome. Scand J Med Sci
Sports 24:e174–e179. doi:10.1111/sms.12132
Malatesta D, Werlen C, Bulfaro S, Cheneviere X, Borrani F (2009)
Effect of high-intensity interval exercise on lipid oxidation dur-
ing postexercise recovery. Med Sci Sports Exerc 41:364–374.
doi:10.1249/MSS.0b013e3181857edo
Matsuo T, Ohkawara K, Seino S, Shimojo N, Yamada S, Ohshima
H, Tanaka K, Mukai C (2012a) Cardiorespiratory fitness level
correlates inversely with excess post-exercise oxygen consump-
tion after aerobic-type interval training. BMC Res Notes 5:646.
doi:10.1186/1756-0500-5-646
Matsuo T, Ohkawara K, Seino S, Shimojo N, Yamada S, Ohshima H,
Tanaka K, Mukai C (2012b) An exercise protocol designed to
control energy expenditure for long-term space missions. Aviat
Space Environ Med 83:783–789. doi:10.3357/ASEM.3298.2012
McGarvey W, Jones R, Petersen S (2005) Excess post-exercise oxy-
gen consumption following continuous and interval cycling
13
Eur J Appl Physiol
exercise. Int J Sport Nutr Exerc Metab 15:28–37. doi:10.1123/
ijsnem.15.1.28
Metcalfe RS, Koumanov F, Ruffino JS, Stokes KA, Holman GD,
Thompson D, Vollaard NB (2015) Physiological and molecular
responses to an acute bout of reduced-exertion high-intensity
interval training (REHIT). Eur J Appl Physiol 115:2321–2334.
doi:10.1007/s00421-015-3217-6
Muniz-Pumares D, Pedlar C, Godfrey RJ, Glaister M (2016) Accumu-
lated oxygen deficit during exercise to exhaustion determined at
different supramaximal work-rates. Int J Sports Physiol Perform
24:1–17. doi:10.1123/ijspp.2015-0343
Olmedo AC (2011) Post-exercise oxygen consumption after con-
tinuous and interval exercise on a treadmill. Apunts Educación
Física y Deportes 104:21–27. doi:10.5672/apunts.2014-0983.
es(2011/2).104.02
Poole DC, Jones AM (2012) Oxygen uptake kinetics. Compr Physiol
2:933–996. doi:10.1002/cphy.c100072
Reinhard U, Muller PH, Schmulling RM (1979) Determination of
anaerobic threshold by the ventilation equivalent in normal indi-
viduals. Respiration 38(1):36–42. doi:10.1159/000194056
Siri WE (1993) Body composition from fluid spaces and density:
analysis of methods. Nutrition 9:480–491
Skelly LE, Andrews PC, Gillen JB, Martin BJ, Percival ME, Gibala
MJ (2014) High-intensity interval exercise induces 24-h energy
expenditure similar to traditional endurance exercise despite
reduced time commitment. Appl Physiol Nutr Metab 39:845–
848. doi:10.1139/apnm-2013-0562
Smith J, Mc Naughton L (1993) The effects of intensity of exercise
on excess postexercise oxygen consumption and energy expendi-
ture in moderately trained men and women. Eur J Appl Physiol
Occup Physiol 67:420–425. doi:10.1007/BF00376458
Townsend JR et al (2013) Excess post-exercise oxygen consumption
(EPOC) following multiple effort sprint and moderate aerobic
exercise. Kinesiology 45:16–21
Tschakert G, Hofmann P (2013) High-intensity intermittent exercise:
methodological and physiological aspects. Int J Sports Physiol
Perform 8:600–610
Wasserman K, Whipp BJ, Koyl SN, Beaver WL (1973) Anaerobic
threshold and respiratory gas exchange during exercise. J Appl
Physiol 35:236–243
Williams CB, Zelt JG, Castellani LN, Little JP, Jung ME, Wright DC,
Tschakovsky ME, Gurd BJ (2013) Changes in mechanisms pro-
posed to mediate fat loss following an acute bout of high-inten-
sity interval and endurance exercise. Appl Physiol Nutr Metab
38:1236–1244. doi:10.1139/apnm-2013-0101
Wilmore JH, Parr RB, Ward P, Volak PA, Barstow TJ, Pipes TV,
Grimditch G, Leslie P (1978) Energy cost of circuit weight train-
ing. Med Sci Sport Exerc 10:75–78
Wolpern AE, Burgos DJ, Janot JM, Dalleck LC (2015) Is a threshold-
based model a superior method to the relative percent concept
for establishing individual exercise intensity? a randomized con-
trolled trial. BMC Sports Sci Med Rehabil 7:16. doi:10.1186/
s13102-015-0011-z