Effects Of Moderate Vs High Intensity Workstation Training On Functional Performance, A Pilot Study

Prolonged sitting in an office environment contributes to sedentary time which is negatively associated with functional performance. Active workstations (i.e. desk ellipticals), can increase physical activity to ameliorate the negative consequences of sedentary time. Reduced-exertion high-intensity interval training (REHIT) is associated with similar benefits as moderate continuous training (MCT), but their effect on functional outcomes in an active workday intervention has not been determined. PURPOSE: This pilot study evaluated whether REHIT or MCT active workday interventions improve functional performance. METHODS: Sedentary office workers followed an 8-week intervention (3 bouts of 10 min of activity at least 4 days/week) of a MCT (n = 9) protocol (10 min moderate continuous exercise) or REHIT (n = 10) protocol (3 min warm up, 20 sec maximal effort, 3 min active recovery, 20 sec maximal effort, 3 minute cool down). Pre and post measures included functional assessments [6 Minute Walk Test (6MWT) and Timed Up and Go (TUG)]. Subgroups wore an ActivPal thigh monitor to measure changes in step count and sedentary time during work hours (9 am-5 pm). Comparisons were made using two-way ANOVA with repeated measures (Group X Time) for all main outcome variables. All data reported Mean ± SD. RESULTS: There were no differences in 6MWT (m) [MCT pre 481 ± 89 vs. post 521 ± 86; REHIT pre 459 ± 107 vs. post 498 ± 88 ] nor TUG (s) [MCT pre 7.7 ± 1.2 vs. post 7.1 ± 1.3; REHIT pre 8.3 ± 1.9 vs. post 7.3 ± 1.7] (all, p > 0.05). In the subgroup analysis (MCT n = 7, REHIT n = 5), neither step count [MCT pre 2953 ± 2013 vs. post 2736 ± 1846; REHIT pre 1885 ± 1029 vs. post 3041 ± 1729] nor sedentary time (s) [MCT pre 14583 ± 6701 vs. post 18238 ± 6528; REHIT pre 15825 ± 9103 vs. post 19982 ± 4053] (all, p > 0.05). CONCLUSION: In this pilot study, neither a REHIT nor MCT protocol using desk ellipticals improved functional outcomes, step count, or sedentary behavior in sedentary office workers.