Evidence map›Paper›PMID 27748956›Full record

ReviewThe Journal of physiology2017

Physiological adaptations to interval training and the role of exercise intensity.

Martin J MacInnis, Martin J Gibala

Registry-linked trialAbstract readReview
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Review in The Journal of physiology, 2017. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. It is linked to trial NCT07473440 (MYOSTATIN REDUCTION WITHIN THE MYOKINE-ADIPOKINE NETWORK PREDICTS AEROBIC ADAPTATION AFTER HIGH-INTENSITY INTERVAL TRAINING IN COMBAT ATHLETES), which is not on this map. Cited by 543 papers, 37 of them syntheses that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
543citing papers in PubMed, 37 pooled it
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

NCT07473440 nacompletednot on this mapstarted 2025, after this paper: background citation

Myostatin reduction within the myokine-adipokine network predicts aerobic adaptation after high-intensity interval training in combat athletes

TypeinterventionalSponsorAdiyaman UniversityRan2025 to 2025Enrolled40ConditionsExercise Adaptation, Aerobic Capacity, Athletic Performance, Combat Sports TrainingArmsSPORT-SPECIFIC CONDITIONING PROGRAM
3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

543 citing papers in PubMed, 37 syntheses or guidelines pooled it.

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  3. Comparative effectiveness of training interventions on VOBMC sports science, medicine & rehabilitation · 2026
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  20. High-intensity interval aerobic exercise delays recovery from heart rate variability: a systematic review with meta-analysis.Clinical autonomic research : official journal of the Clinical Autonomic Research Society · 2025
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483 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.

4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

2 authors.

Martin J MacInnisDepartment of Kinesiology, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada.ORCID 0000-0002-0377-5800
Martin J GibalaDepartment of Kinesiology, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Interval exercise typically involves repeated bouts of relatively intense exercise interspersed by short periods of recovery. A common classification scheme subdivides this method into high-intensity interval training (HIIT; 'near maximal' efforts) and sprint interval training (SIT; 'supramaximal' efforts). Both forms of interval training induce the classic physiological adaptations characteristic of moderate-intensity continuous training (MICT) such as increased aerobic capacity (V̇O2 max ) and mitochondrial content. This brief review considers the role of exercise intensity in mediating physiological adaptations to training, with a focus on the capacity for aerobic energy metabolism. With respect to skeletal muscle adaptations, cellular stress and the resultant metabolic signals for mitochondrial biogenesis depend largely on exercise intensity, with limited work suggesting that increases in mitochondrial content are superior after HIIT compared to MICT, at least when matched-work comparisons are made within the same individual. It is well established that SIT increases mitochondrial content to a similar extent to MICT despite a reduced exercise volume. At the whole-body level, V̇O2 max is generally increased more by HIIT than MICT for a given training volume, whereas SIT and MICT similarly improve V̇O2 max despite differences in training volume. There is less evidence available regarding the role of exercise intensity in mediating changes in skeletal muscle capillary density, maximum stroke volume and cardiac output, and blood volume. Furthermore, the interactions between intensity and duration and frequency have not been thoroughly explored. While interval training is clearly a potent stimulus for physiological remodelling in humans, the integrative response to this type of exercise warrants further attention, especially in comparison to traditional endurance training.

Indexed as

Adaptation, PhysiologicalHigh-Intensity Interval TrainingHumansMitochondria, MuscleMuscle, Skeletalaerobic capacitycardiovascularcyclingexercise durationmitochondriaskeletal muscletraining frequency

Identifiers

PMID27748956
PMCPMC5407969

What OpenQuestion holds

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Registered trials

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.