The Study
Sprint Interval Training Attenuates Neuromuscular Function and Vagal Reactivity Compared With High-Intensity Functional Training in Real-World Circumstances
This study shows that after a sprint workout, people had slower heart recovery and weaker jumps compared to other workouts. It doesn’t prove the sprint workout caused these changes for sure — just that they happened more often with that workout in this small group.
Analysis score
Maximum 90 for a randomized controlled trial.
Where the score came from
Three short, hard workouts were tested to see how tired they made people and how fast their bodies recovered.
Where does this study sit?
Reviews of RCTs (Meta-analyses)
Max 100Randomized Trials
Max 90Reviews of Cohort Studies
Max 85Cohort Studies
Max 72Reviews of Case-Control Studies
Max 63Case-Control Studies
Max 58Cross-Sectional & Case Series
Max 50Expert Opinion
Max 535 / 100
Quality score
Participants are randomly assigned to treatment or control groups, minimizing bias. The gold standard for testing whether an intervention causes an effect.
Key takeaways
Summary
Based on the study abstract and findings.
- 1Yes, this means sprinting hard for a few minutes may make your body work harder and take longer to recover than other similar workouts.
- 2After a sprint workout, jumps were 1.2 cm lower, leg power dropped by 1.7 W/kg, and arm power by 0.7 W/kg.
- 3Heart rate stayed high longer and didn’t recover as fast compared to burpees or steady running.
Score breakdown, methodology, conflicts of interest, evidence analysis & raw study data
Publication
Journal
Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research
Year
2022
Authors
Stefano Benítez-Flores, F. Castro, E. Lusa Cadore, T. Astorino
Related Content
Claims (4)
For young adults who exercise a bit, doing a quick 9-minute sprint workout leads to bigger drops in muscle power—like how high you can jump or how strong your legs and arms feel—compared to other similar workouts using burpees or steady hard exercise.
After a quick 9-minute workout, sprint intervals might make your heart take longer to calm down compared to burpees or steady hard exercise — at least in young, somewhat active people.
Sprint and hard steady workouts get your heart pumping faster and keep it near maximum longer than burpee workouts in young, somewhat active people — at least during 9-minute sessions.
Sprinting might help you stay younger on the inside by keeping your muscles, nerves, and metabolism in top shape.
Not medical advice. For informational purposes only. Always consult a qualified healthcare professional before making health decisions.