Purpose: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the feasibility and reliability of the Feeling Scale (FS) to self-regulate resistance training (RT) intensity. Methods: Sixteen sedentary men (39.7 ± 7.5 yr) performed 3 familiarization sessions, 2 one-repetition maximum (1RM) testing, and 16 RT sessions (four sessions for each FS descriptor; randomized). The FS descriptors were “very good” (FS + 5), “good” (FS + 3), “fairly good” (FS + 1), and “fairly bad” (FS − 1). Resistance exercises were leg press, chest press, knee extension, and seated biceps curl. Participants were instructed to select a load associated with the verbal/numerical descriptor of the FS to perform three sets of 10 repetitions. Results: Participants lifted a significantly greater %1RM as the FS level decreased from FS + 5 to FS − 1 (P < 0.001). The mean %1RM values for the FS descriptors of +5, +3, +1, and −1, respectively, were as follows: leg press, 42.5% ± 9.5%, 58.2% ± 7.4%, 69.9% ± 7.0%, and 80.7% ± 5.4%; knee extensor, 37.4% ± 9.6%, 54.5% ± 9.3%, 65.3% ± 8.7%, and 78.2% ± 5.9%; chest press, 42.4% ± 11.3%, 54.9% ± 11.4%, 66.4% ± 12.6%, and 78.2% ± 13.5%; and biceps curl, 39.0% ± 8.1%, 54.0% ± 9.7%, 68.4% ± 5.9%, and 83.2% ± 3.0%. The interclass correlation coefficient over the four experimental sessions ranged from 0.73 to 0.99 for %1RM and from 0.77 to 0.99 for weight lifted, with a coefficient of variation of approximately 7%, 4%, 2%, and 2% for FS descriptors of +5, +3, +1, and −1, respectively. Conclusion: This study is the first to demonstrate that the FS can be used to self-regulate exercise intensity in RT. The lower the FS descriptor, the higher the weight lifted. In addition, the load self-selected for each FS descriptor was reliable across the four sessions.

This study aimed to investigate the effects of a 12-week self-selected resistance training (SSRT) program on physical fitness and psychophysiological responses among physically inactive older women. We randomly allocated 32 inactive older women (M age = 66.0 years, SD = 3.0) into either an SSRT (n = 16) or control group (n = 16). Participants performed SSRT three times per week over 12 weeks. We assessed maximal isotonic and isokinetic muscle strength, functional capacity, flexibility, cardiorespiratory fitness, and body composition at baseline and after the intervention. Affective responses and perceived exertion were evaluated after each exercise set throughout the training program. The SSRT group significantly improved their maximal muscle strength in all exercises (Cohen’s d ranging from 1.4-3.3; all p’s < .001), peak torque (knee flexors: d = 1.7; knee extensors: d = 1.6; all p < .001), flexibility (knee flexors: d = 1.7; single hip flexors: d = 1.6; all p < .001; bilateral hip flexors: d = 1.1, p = .001), fat-free mass (d = .9, p = .008), and cardiorespiratory fitness (d = .9, p = .014), compared to the control group. All components of functional capacity improved compared to the control group (Cohen’s d ranging from .8 to 5.5; all p’s ≤ .001). Participants perceived the exercise training sessions as pleasant and of low to moderate effort. Thus, a 12-week SSRT program was effective at improving physical fitness and inducing feelings of pleasure among inactive older women.

Purpose: To compare the effects of 12-week high-intensity interval (HIIT), moderate-intensity continuous (MICT), and self-selected intensity training (SSIT) on health outcomes and affective responses. Methods: Seventy-three overweight/obese inactive adults (62% woman; age, 31.4 ± 7.2 years; height, 1.66 ± 0.09 cm; Body mass index, 28.9 ± 2.7 kg.m⁻²) who were randomized into HIIT (n = 23), MICT (n = 24) and SSIT (n = 26) groups. The training was conducted three times per week in an outdoor environment, with 4 weeks under direct supervision and 8 weeks with semi-supervision. Cardiorespiratory fitness, body composition, and metabolic profile were evaluated at baseline and at the end of the 4^th and 12^th weeks. Core affect was measured during all training sessions. Results: Peak oxygen uptake improved in all groups after 4 and 12 weeks compared with baseline. Only the SSIT had reductions in body fat throughout the intervention. No improvements were observed in the metabolic profile across all groups. SSIT was perceived as more pleasurable than HIIT; however, there were no differences in affective responses between SSIT and MICT. Affective responses in-task (e.g. negative and positive peak, rate of change and affect at the end of the exercise session) predicted the HIIT and SSIT exercises attendance rate. Conclusion: Regardless of the exercise training protocol, overweight/obese inactive adults improved health outcomes, which suggests the prescribing HIIT, MICT, and SSIT in outdoor environments. SSIT should be considered in order to optimize the pleasure during training sessions. Affective response more positive in-task of the HIIT and SSIT is associated with greater attendance rate in these exercise protocols.

The COVID-19 pandemic and the associated governmental restrictions suddenly changed everyday life and potentially affected exercise behavior. The aim of this study was to explore whether individuals changed their preference for certain types of physical exercise during the pandemic and to identify risk factors for inactivity. An international online survey with 13,881 adult participants from 18 countries/regions was conducted during the initial COVID-19 related lockdown (between April and May 2020). Data on types of exercise performed during and before the initial COVID-19 lockdown were collected, translated, and categorized (free-text input). Sankey charts were used to investigate these changes, and a mixed-effects logistic regression model was used to analyze risks for inactivity. Many participants managed to continue exercising but switched from playing games (e.g., football, tennis) to running, for example. In our sample, the most popular exercise types during the initial COVID-19 lockdown included endurance, muscular strength, and multimodal exercise. Regarding risk factors, higher education, living in rural areas, and physical activity before the COVID-19 lockdown reduced the risk for inactivity during the lockdown. In this relatively active multinational sample of adults, most participants were able to continue their preferred type of exercise despite restrictions, or changed to endurance type activities. Very few became physically inactive. It seems people can adapt quickly and that the constraints imposed by social distancing may even turn into an opportunity to start exercising for some. These findings may be helpful to identify individuals at risk and optimize interventions following a major context change that can disrupt the exercise routine.

Background: The literature has demonstrated that teachers were susceptible to psychological issues such as anxiety, depression, and stress during the COVID-19 pandemic. However, there is a need to explore the underlying factors contributing to these psychological burdens. Objective: To investigate the independent and joint association of physical inactivity and excessive screen time with self-perceived health, quality of life, anxiety, and sadness among teachers working from home during the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods: This online cross-sectional study was conducted with 14,979 teachers from public schools in Minas Gerais, Brazil. Physical activity, TV viewing time, and computer/tablet use were self-reported. Health outcomes were assessed using a Likert scale. Adjusted logistic regression models examined the associations. Results: Approximately 80% of the teachers were physically inactive (<150 min/week), while 10% and 80% spent more than 5 h/day watching TV and using a computer/tablet, respectively. Physical inactivity was associated with poor health, low quality of life, sadness, and anxiety. Excessive screen time was associated with low quality of life, sadness, and anxiety. Longer TV viewing time was associated with an increased frequency of sadness and anxiety. Interaction effects between physical inactivity and excessive screen time heightened the likelihood of adverse outcomes. Conclusion: Physical inactivity and excessive screen time independently contributed to the investigated health outcomes. The combination of physical inactivity and prolonged screen time increased the risk of poor self-perceived health among teachers during the pandemic.

We investigated the effects of mental fatigue (MF) on affective responses during an aerobic exercise session at moderate intensity. We submitted 12 insufficiently active adults (50% women; M age = 24.9 years, SD = 3.0; M BMI = 24.3 kg/m²; SD = 2.6) to two 30-minute pre-exercise conditions: an MF condition (Stroop Color-Word task) and a control condition (watching a documentary) prior to their performance of 20 minutes of aerobic treadmill exercise at 40–59% of heart rate reserve. The minimum washout interval between conditions was two days. Perceived MF and motivation to perform physical exercise were assessed before and after conditions with a visual analog scale of 100 mm. We assessed participants’ affective and exertion responses with the Feeling Scale, Rating of Perceived Exertion (RPE) and heart rate during every two minutes of physical exercise. Implicit attitudes toward physical exercise were assessed by the Implicit Association Test before the MF and control conditions and after the physical exercise session. The participants in the MF condition reported lower pleasure ( M difference = −1.57, 95% CI = −2.64 to −0.50, d = 0.93, p = .008) and higher exertion (RPE) ( M difference = 1.16, 95% CI = 0.04 to 2.27, d = 0.66, p = .043) compared to those in the control condition. Participants who experienced MF also reported a more negative implicit attitude toward physical exercise than in the control condition ( β = −0.47, 95% CI= −0.73 to −0.21, d = 1.41, p < .001). While these findings should be cross-validated in subsequent research with a larger and more diverse participant sample, there appears to be value in minimizing pre-exercise mental fatigue to avoid negative MF effects on the exercisers’ affective experience.