Background: High-intensity interval training (HIIT) features short, repeated bursts of relatively vigorous exercise with intermittent periods of rest or low-intensity exercise. High-intensity power training (HIPT), in combination with HIIT and traditional resistance training (TRT), is characterized as multijoint high-intensity resistance exercises with low interset rest periods. HIPT requires people to finish the exercise as fast as possible, which increases acute physiological demands. The aim of the study was to investigate the differences between eight-week HIPT or TRT on exercise performance. Methods: Twenty-four college students were recruited and randomly assigned to either the HIPT or TRT group in a counterbalanced order. The power of upper and lower limbs (50% 1RM bench press and vertical jump) and anaerobic power were tested before and after the training (weeks 0 and 9). The results were analyzed by two-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) or Friedman’s test with a significance level of α = 0.05 to compare the effects of the intervention on exercise performance. Results: There were significant differences in the explosive force of the upper and lower limbs between the pretest and post-test in both the HIPT and TRT groups (p < 0.05). However, only the HIPT group showed a significant difference in the mean power on the Wingate anaerobic test between the pretest and post-test (p < 0.05). Conclusions: Both HIPT and TRT can improve upper and lower limb explosive force. HIPT is an efficient training protocol, which took less time and produced a better improvement in mean anaerobic power.

Research on relationships between physical fitness and sleep duration among older adults is scarce, especially in Taiwanese representative samples of elderly people who undergo physical fitness measurements. This study aimed to determine the associations between physical fitness and short and long sleep durations among older adults in Taiwan. We conducted a cross-sectional study and reviewed data derived from the National Physical Fitness Survey in Taiwan. A total of 24,125 Taiwanese adults aged 65 years and older participated in this study between October 2014 and March 2015. Each individual’s sleep duration was recorded with a standard questionnaire method. Sleep duration data were stratified into short (≤5 h), normal (6–7 h), and long (≥8 h) sleep duration groups. Physical fitness was assessed by five components: aerobic endurance (2 min step test), muscle strength and endurance (30 s arm curl and 30 s chair stand tests), flexibility (back scratch and chair sit-and-reach tests), body composition (body mass index (BMI) and waist-to-hip ratio (WHR)), and balance (one-leg stance with eye open and 8-foot up-and-go tests). To understand whether a dose–response relationship exists between physical fitness and short or long sleep duration, we analyzed four levels of performance on the basis of quartiles of physical fitness measurements by using logistic regression. The first quartile of physical fitness performance was the baseline level. The odds ratio (OR) for short sleep duration for the third quartile of BMI was 0.8031 times (95% CI, 0.7119–0.9061) lower than the baseline. For the fourth quartile of BMI, the OR was 0.8660 times (95% CI, 0.7653–0.9800) lower than the baseline. The adjusted OR for long sleep duration significantly decreased in the second, third, and fourth quartiles of the 30 s chair stand, back scratch, chair sit-and-reach test, one-leg stance with one eye open, and BMI. The adjusted OR was increased in the third and fourth quartiles of the 8-foot up-and-go and WHR. The results of the current study suggest that physical fitness performance may influence sleep duration as an associated factor, and the relationship is much stronger for long sleep duration than for short sleep duration.

The present study aims to investigate the associations between physical fitness performance and abdominal obesity risk among Taiwanese adults. We conducted a cross-sectional study and reviewed the data derived from the National Physical Fitness Survey in Taiwan (HPFSIT). Data from a total of 62,486 respondents aged 23–64 years were collected in this study. The participants completed a standardized structural questionnaire and a series of anthropometric characteristics (body mass index and waist-to-hip ratio) and physical fitness (3-min step tests, 1-min sit-up tests, and sit-and-reach tests) assessments. Waist circumference was used to define abdominal obesity status. A multiple logistic regression analysis was conducted. Our results presented almost entirely significant associations (except for women) on the 3-min step test. Moreover, the results suggest that muscular strength, endurance, and flexibility may be effective predictors of abdominal obesity among men and women, whereas cardiorespiratory fitness predicted abdominal obesity only in men. According to the results of this study, the fitness–abdominal obesity associations are minor based on a mixed population analysis. However, dose–response relationships have been observed. The present study provides a new perspective by using different types of fitness performance to predict abdominal obesity.