Intermittent versus Continuous Exercise: Effects of Perceptually Lower Exercise in Obese Women.

Coquart JBJ, Lemarie C, Dubart A-E, Luttembacher D-P, Douillard C, Garcin M The main aims of this study were to determine which type of exercise (continuous vs intermittent) was perceived less hard; and to analyze the impact of a training program on the basis of this exercise in obese women with and without type 2 diabetes. Twenty type 2 diabetic obese women and 20 obese women without diabetes were recruited. In each group, half the patients exercised and the others did not. Rate of perceived exertion (RPE) was measured during exercise. The training groups performed both a continuous exercise and an intermittent exercise. RPE were significantly lower during the intermittent exercise compared to the continuous exercise in the obese women with or without diabetes. After the training program, significant beneficial effects on the glycosylated haemoglobin, body mass, body mass index, heart rate and the walked distance limit were noticed in the training groups. Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise. 40(8):1546-1553, August 2008. Link to Abstract