Table 1.
Characteristics of studies examining pre-pubertal participants
| References | Sample population | Maturation | INT duration (wk) | INT type | Group size (n) | Modality/ intensity | Repeated bouts/ frequency | Exercise bout/ recovery duration | Protocol duration (including recovery) | Total exercise INT duration |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Baquet et al. [22] | Pre-pubertal primary school children; N = 53 (23 boys; 8–11 years) | Maturation measured, but not reported | 7 | HIIT protocol | 33 | Shuttle runs (100–130 % MAS) | Bouts: 5–10 Sets: 1–4 3-min rest between set (2 times weekly) |
10–20 s/ 10–20 s |
30 min | 7 h |
| Control | 20 | |||||||||
| Baquet et al. [40] | Primary school children; N = 77 (43 boys; 9.6 ± 1.0 years) | Stage 1 = 40 boys, 29 girls Stage 3 = 3 boys, 5 girls combined <3 |
7 | HIIT protocol | 22 | Shuttle runs (100–130 % MAS) | Bouts: 5–10 Sets: 1–4 3-min rest between set (3 times weekly) |
10–30 s/ 10–30 s |
25–35 min | 10 h and 30 min |
| Moderate | 22 | Shuttle runs (80–85 % MAS) | Bouts: 1–4 (3 times weekly) |
6–18 min/ 5 min |
18–39 min | 7 h and 21 min | ||||
| Control | 19 | |||||||||
| Baquet et al. [41] | Pre-pubertal children; N = 100 (46 boys; 9.7 ± 0.8 years) | Stage 1 = 46 boys, 25 girls Stage 3 = 29 girls combined <3 |
7 | HIIT protocol | 47 | Shuttle runs (100–130 % MAS) | Bouts: 5–10 Sets: 1–4 3-min rest between set (2 times weekly) |
10–20 s/ 10–20 s |
30 min | 7 h |
| Control | 53 | |||||||||
| Lambrick et al. [42] |
Obese and normal weight children; N = 55 (32 boys) | Peak height velocity at baseline: INT = 2.7 ± 0.1 CON = 2.65 ± 0.05 |
6 | HIIT protocol | 28 | Child specific games (93% mean HRmax) | Bouts: 7 (2 times weekly) |
6 min/2 min | 60 min | 12 h |
| Control | 27 | |||||||||
| Lau et al. [24] | Overweight primary school children; N = 48 (36 boys; 10.4 ± 0.9 years) | Maturation not reported | 6 | HIIT protocol | 15 | Shuttle runs (120 % MAS) | Bouts: 12 (3 times weekly) |
15 s/15 s | 6 min | 1 h and 48 min |
| LIT protocol | 21 | Shuttle runs (100 % MAS) | Bouts: 16 (3 times weekly) |
15 s/15 s | 8 min | 2 h and 24 min | ||||
| Control | 12 | |||||||||
| Nourry et al. [43] | Pre-pubertal children; N = 18 (11 boys; 10.0 ± 0.8 years) | Stage 1 = 18 | 8 | HIIT protocol | 9 | Shuttle runs (100–130 % MAS) | Bouts: 10 Sets: 4 times (2 times weekly) |
10–20 s/ 10–20 s |
30 min | 8 h |
| Control | 9 | |||||||||
| Rosenkranz et al. [28] | Pre-pubertal children; N = 16 (2 boys; 7–12 years) | Stage 1 = 16 | 8 | HIIT protocol | 8 | Shuttle runs (100–130 % MAS) | Bouts: 5–10 Sets: 4 times (2 times weekly) |
10–20 s/ 10–20 s |
30 min | 8 h |
| Control | 8 |
HIIT high-intensity interval training, HR max heart rate maximum, INT intervention, LIT light-intensity training, MAS maximal aerobic speed