Resistance training enhances the post-exercise fat oxidation of Tabata-style exercise more than moderate-intensity continuous training in young males with obesity: an acute randomized crossover study

Objective This study aimed to compare the effects of three combined exercise protocols, including Tabata-style training combined with moderate-intensity continuous training (MICT), Tabata-style training combined with resistance training (RT), and MICT combined with RT, on substrate metabolism and energy expenditure in male college students with obesity. Methods Forty-three male college students with obesity completed each of the three 30-minute exercise protocols in an acute randomized crossover design. Gas exchange indices were continuously monitored during exercise and during a 30-minute recovery period to calculate fat oxidation, carbohydrate oxidation, and energy expenditure. Heart rate and rating of perceived exertion (RPE) were also recorded. Results Although Tabata-style training + MICT elicited the highest exercise-period substrate oxidation and energy expenditure, the relative contribution of fat oxidation to energy expenditure (%Fat) did not differ among the three protocols across the entire observation period (30.09 ± 5.02%, 32.03 ± 6.57%, and 28.86 ± 8.80% for Tabata-style training + RT, Tabata-style training + MICT, and MICT + RT; P = 0.116). During the 30-minute re5covery period, %Fat was highest in Tabata-style training + RT (68.38 ± 8.11%), followed by Tabata-style training + MICT (57.93 ± 10.11%) and MICT + RT (29.28 ± 12.35%), and the fat oxidation rate increased most steeply in Tabata-style training + RT across the 30-minute recovery period (P < 0.001). Conclusions Compared with MICT + RT, both Tabata-containing protocols showed a fat oxidation advantage during recovery period, and this advantage was greatest for Tabata-style training + RT, which achieved the highest relative contribution of fat oxidation and the steepest rise in the fat oxidation rate during the 30-min recovery. These findings suggest that a Tabata-style exercise, especially when combined with resistance training, may represent an effective acute strategy for enhancing post-exercise fat oxidation in young males with obesity.