The Effects of High-Intensity Interval Training (HIIT) on Inflammatory Markers and Cardiovascular Performance Improvement in Semi-Professional Athletes

Recent studies in 2024 have demonstrated that High-Intensity Interval Training (HIIT) is not only effective in improving cardiovascular indices but also has positive impacts on enhancing mitochondrial production and reducing oxidative damage at the cellular level. These findings underscore the importance of incorporating HIIT, particularly for semi-professional athletes (Smith et al ., 2024). This type of training involves short-term periods of intense activity followed by brief intervals of rest or active recovery. In this study, the effects of HIIT on inflammatory markers and the improvement of cardiovascular performance in semi-professional athletes were investigated. The experimental group in this study consisted of 30 male semi-professional athletes who underwent HIIT sessions for 8 weeks. The results indicate that HIIT significantly reduced CRP levels, increased VO2max, decreased systolic and diastolic blood pressure, and lowered resting heart rate. This study highlights the positive effects of HIIT in improving cardiovascular performance and reducing inflammation in individuals. Given that HIIT, due to its time efficiency and positive effects, can be an effective training method for semi-professional athletes; these findings are particularly significant for individuals with limited time for training (Gibala et al ., 2008).