The Effect Of Concurrent High-intensity Interval And Resistance Training On Physical Fitness And Cognitive Function In Male College Students

Objective: The WHO guidelines on physical activity and sedentary behaviour suggest that adults engage in regular moderate-to-vigorous aerobic and muscular strength exercises,including concurrent training(CT)that combines endurance and resistance.CT has been shown to promote both cardiopulmonary and muscle health in young adults.However,its effects on brain health and cognitive function are not yet fully understood.This study aimed to investigate the effects of acute and 8-week concurrent training(CT)that combines high-intensity interval training(HIIT)with resistance training(RT)on cognitive function,prefrontal cortex neuronal activity,and serum neurotrophins levels in male college students.Method: For this study,39 participants who met the experiment’s requirements were screened from a university and randomly assigned to one of three groups: the high-intensity interval training(HIIT)group(n=13),resistance training(RT)group(n=13),or concurrent training(CT)group(n=13).Four participants withdrew from the study after completing the acute exercise for personal reasons,and 35 participants completed the8-week experiment(HIIT group,n=11;RT group,n=11;CT group,n=13).Before the intervention,physical fitness related indicators were measured.The first intervention was performed seven days later,and 10 m L of elbow venous blood was collected before and immediately after the intervention to measure serum brain-derived neurotrophic factor,irisin,and Clusterin levels.The Stroop and N-back tasks were completed while wearing the functional near-infrared spectroscopy(f NIRS)device to detect the task execution state.These tests were repeated after eight weeks of intervention,with all tests performed from8:00 a.m.to 10:00 a.m.The HIIT program consisted of alternating sets of 1 minute of high-intensity pedaling at 85% VO2 max and 1 minute of low-intensity pedaling at 35% VO2 max for a total of 10 sets.The RT program consisted of squats,bench presses,hard pulls,and rowing at70%1RM.The CT program involved completing 50% of the RT first,followed by 50% of the HIIT after a 10-minute rest.To balance the physiological load of the three exercise modalities,Polor heart rate bands were used to estimate energy expenditure of 400-500 kcal for all three exercise modalities during the intervention period.Participants were instructed to avoid additional physical activity and to maintain their usual diet during the intervention period,and their diet was recorded for three non-consecutive days at weeks 1and 8 using the 24-hour dietary review method.Results:Acute intervention:1.Acute CT significantly decreased response time in both Stroop and N-back tasks,with no significant difference compared to HIIT and RT groups.2.Both acute HIIT and CT significantly increased the concentration of oxyhemoglobin in prefrontal cortex during Stroop and N-back tasks,while acute RT significantly decreased the concentration of oxyhemoglobin in prefrontal cortex during N-back tasks.3.Acute HIIT,RT,and CT significantly increased the serum BDNF and irisin levels,while there was no significant changes on serum clusterin levels.8-week intervention:1.Both 8-week HIIT and CT significantly increased muscle mass and decreased body fat percentage in male college students,while RT significantly increased muscle mass.8-week HIIT,RT,and CT all significantly improved the maximum lower limb muscle strength and the maximum lower limb muscle strength in RT and CT groups was significantly higher than HIIT group after 8-week intervention.8-week RT and CT significantly improved the lower limb explosive force and the lower limb explosive force in RT group was significantly higher than HIIT and CT groups after 8-week intervention.8-week HIIT and CT significantly increased VO2 max in male college students,VO2 max was significantly higher in HIIT group compared to RT and CT groups,and in CT group compared to RT group after 8-week intervention.2.8-week CT significantly decreased response time in both Stroop and N-back tasks,with no significant difference compared to HIIT and RT groups.3.Both 8-week HIIT and CT significantly increased the concentration of oxyhemoglobin in prefrontal cortex,while 8-week RT significantly decreased the concentration of oxyhemoglobin in prefrontal cortex during Stroop and N-back tasks.4.8-week HIIT,RT,and CT significantly increased the serum BDNF and irisin levels,while there was no significant changes on serum clusterin levels.Conclusions:1.8-week CT comprehensively improve the physical fitness of male college students.2.Acute and 8-week HIIT,RT,and CT all have positive effects on the cognitive function of male college students.3.The cognitive benefits observed after 8-week CT may be attributed to the elevation of serum Irisin and BDNF levels induced by multiple acute exercise sessions.