Table 1.
Selected Aquatic HIIT Training Studies.
| Author (Year) | Participants and Sample Size | Program Design | Intensity/Duration | Key Findings |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Broman et al105 (2006) | Elderly healthy women | Deep-water running HIIT: 2 times/wk, 8 weeks | AHIIT: 15-s to 3-minute intervals, at 75% heart rate (HR) maximum, for 10 minutes, with 2-minute rest between each interval | AHIIT: Increased VO2max (10%; P <.01) and maximal VE (14%; P <.01); lower resting HR (8%; P < .01) and submaximum HR (3%; P < .01) |
| AHIIT (12) | CON: No exercise | CON: No change | ||
| CON (9) | ||||
| Martin et al100 (1987) | Sedentary middle aged men and women | Swimming + land-based circuit training; swim: combination of continuous and HIIT; 3 times/wk, 12 weeks | AHIIT: 2 miles/session, continuous + interval training; land-based circuit, 15 exercises, targeting muscle endurance | AHIIT: Increase in peak supine VO2 (10%; P < .05) and peak supine left end-diastolic volume (18%); decrease: upright and supine resting HR (P < .005) |
| AHIIT (15) | CON: No exercise | CON: No change | ||
| CON (9) | ||||
| Mohr et al101 (2014) | Sedentary, premenopausal women with mild hypertension | Swimming; HIIT swim or moderate-pace swim; 3 times/wk, 15 weeks | AHIIT: 6-10 rounds of sprint freestyle, 30 s each, 2 minute passive recovery in between, for 25 minutes | AHIIT: Greater improvements (P < .05): systolic BP, mean arterial pressure, resting HR versus Moderate and CON |
| AHIIT (21) | Moderate: 1 hour continuous swim | |||
| Moderate (21) | CON: No exercise | |||
| CON (21) | ||||
| Rebold et al104 (2013) | Young, healthy, men and women | Shallow-water treadmill running; HIIT Tabata intervals (20 s work/10 s rest); 2 times/wk, 8 weeks | AHIIT: Treadmill running with all out sprints, 8 rounds, for 20 minutes | AHIIT: Increase in mean aerobic power, flexibility (P < .05) |
| AHIIT (13) | CON: No exercise | CON: No change | ||
| CON (12) | ||||
| Wilber et al103 (1996) | Young, trained male runners | Deep-water running or land-based treadmill running HIIT combination; 5 times/wk, 6 weeks | Both groups combined HIIT and moderate intensity running for 30 minutes per session | During HIIT, both groups achieved 90%-100% VO2max |
| AHIIT (8) | ||||
| Land treadmill HIIT (8) |
Abbreviations: HIIT, high-intensity interval training; AHIIT, aquatic HIIT; CON, control group; BP, blood pressure.