How different exercises change teen bodies
Distinct lipidomic profiles but similar improvements in aerobic capacity following sprint interval training versus moderate-intensity continuous training in male adolescents
Not medical advice. For informational purposes only. Always consult a healthcare professional. Terms
Surprising Findings
Standard cholesterol levels didn’t change at all, even though fitness improved dramatically.
Most people assume better fitness = better cholesterol. But this study shows that in teens, conventional lipid panels may be blind to real metabolic improvements.
Practical Takeaways
Teens short on time can do 15-minute sprint workouts 3x/week to boost fitness as effectively as longer jogs.
Not medical advice. For informational purposes only. Always consult a healthcare professional. Terms
Surprising Findings
Standard cholesterol levels didn’t change at all, even though fitness improved dramatically.
Most people assume better fitness = better cholesterol. But this study shows that in teens, conventional lipid panels may be blind to real metabolic improvements.
Practical Takeaways
Teens short on time can do 15-minute sprint workouts 3x/week to boost fitness as effectively as longer jogs.
Publication
Journal
Frontiers in Physiology
Year
2025
Authors
Wantang Su, Jianming Liu, Aozhe Wang, Haifeng Zhang, Yaqi Sun, Zhiyi Yan, Michael Svensson, Ji-Guo Yu, Li Zhao
Related Content
Claims (6)
Short, intense bursts of exercise (like sprinting) can boost heart and lung fitness just as well as longer, steady workouts — and take way less time.
Both short, intense sprints and steady, moderate workouts boost teenage boys' stamina just as much after six weeks — either way, their bodies get better at using oxygen.
Doing short, intense sprints for six weeks might lower certain types of fats in the blood of healthy teenage boys, which could mean their bodies are using fat differently in a way that's good for their health.
Doing moderate cardio for six weeks changes certain fat levels in the blood of healthy teenage boys in ways that might help their metabolism work better.
In teen boys, short bursts of intense exercise mainly lower free fatty acids in the blood, while steady, moderate exercise changes more types of fats—including sphingolipids and phospholipids—suggesting different kinds of workouts affect the body’s fat processing in different ways.