Figure 3.

Cardiorespiratory fitness: (A) Cardiorespiratory fitness (VO₂max) was found to increase over time irrespective of the exercise group (p < 0.01), even though post-hoc tests show only a significant increase in the high-intensity group (p < 0.01). (B) The ergometer power output during the VO₂max test increased over time irrespective of the exercise group (p < 0.01), with the post-hoc test showing a significant increase in both groups (both p < 0.01). (C) Even though participants in the high-intensity group spent significantly more time in the target HR zone (80% of max. HR) than the low-intensity group (p < 0.01), the hours spent exercising was not associated with changes in fitness (p = 0.19).