Do Exercise Pattern and Intensity Influence Affective and Enjoyment Responses in Active Adults? A Secondary Analysis

• Published in: Research quarterly for exercise and sport pp. 1 - 10
• Main Authors: Marcotte-Chénard, Alexis, Islam, Hashim, Jackson, Garett S., Little, Jonathan P.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States 04.04.2025
• Subjects: MICT; HIIT; pleasure; physical activity
• ISSN: 0270-1367; 2168-3824; 2168-3824
• DOI: 10.1080/02701367.2025.2471880

The purpose of the present study was to compare the ratings of perceived exertion (RPE), affective (Feeling Scale), and remembered enjoyment (Physical Activity Enjoyment Scale) responses following different exercise intensities/patterns and to investigate possible associations with physiological parameters in active adults. In a randomized crossover trial, 16 active adults (29.9 ± 3.2 years; 8 males/8 females) performed three different conditions: moderate continuous exercise (MCE) at 70% lactate threshold (LT), heavy continuous exercise (HCE) at 10% of the difference between LT and VO peak, and heavy interval exercise (HIE) wherein intensity matched HCE but performed as 1-minute on:off with stationary rest in between. RPE (CR10) and affect were evaluated during exercise while remembered enjoyment was assessed at the end of each exercise session. Average RPE was significantly different (  = .001; η  = .744) between all three exercise modalities (MCE = 2.6 ± 0.8, HCE = 5.1 ± 1.0; HIE = 3.5 ± 0.9; ≤.001). Average affect during exercise was also significantly different (  = .001; η  = .427) with post hoc testing revealing lower affect for HCE compared to MCE (  = .002) and HIE (  = .008). Similar results were observed for affect nadir (lowest affect during exercise; MCE = 3.1 ± 1.3; HCE = 1.2 ± 1.7; HIE = 2.4 ± 1.6;  = .001; η  = .470). Remembered enjoyment was not statistically different between modalities (MCE = 98 ± 18; HCE = 96 ± 17; HIE = 100 ± 16;  = .468; η  = .049), but more people preferred HCE (10/16; 62.5%) compared with both HIE (4/16; 25%) and MCE (2/16; 12.5%) (  = .039): Despite the higher average RPE and lower affect during HCE, no difference was observed for remembered exercise enjoyment, and active individuals seem to prefer this exercise modality compared with HIE or MCE.