Physical Therapy Journal of Indonesia (PTJI) 2025 - Volume 6 - Number 2 - Article 194-201 - High-Intensity Interval Training (HIIT) vs Moderate-Intensity Continuous Training (MICT)

Q: What was the study’s primary aim?

To determine whether high-intensity interval training (HIIT) is superior to medium-intensity continuous training (MICT) in lowering creatine kinase and interleukin-6 levels in sports students after four weeks of exercise.

Q: How were participants assigned and what was the study design?

Thirty students aged 19–22 were enrolled in a pretest-posttest control group design and randomly assigned to MICT, HIIT, or a control group with no training.

Q: How were CK and IL-6 levels measured and analyzed?

CK and IL-6 were measured using blood sampling. Data were analyzed with descriptive statistics, normality testing, and ANOVA to evaluate differences between groups.

Sep 29, 2026

Uploaded by ahduag

High-intensity interval training (HIIT) was evaluated for its ability to reduce creatine kinase (CK) and interleukin-6 (IL-6) in sports students after four weeks of exercise, compared with medium-intensity continuous training (MICT). A pretest-posttest control group design included 30 students aged 19–22 years, randomly assigned to MICT, HIIT, or a no-training control group. Training was delivered three times per week, with CK and IL-6 measured via blood sampling and analyzed using descriptive statistics, normality tests, and ANOVA.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryHealthcare

FormatPDF

Pages8

Reading Time20 min

AccessFree to download

Introduction

Exercise interventions and biochemical indicators

HIIT vs MICT training approaches

Methods and Study Design

Participants and group allocation

Training protocol and frequency

Outcome measures and analysis

Results

CK and IL-6 changes across groups

Conclusion

Comparative effectiveness of HIIT and MICT

ORIGINAL ARTICLE Physical Therapy Journal of Indonesia (PTJI) 2025, Volume 6, Number 2: 194-201 E-ISSN : 2722-6034 ; P-ISSN : 2722-0125 High-intensity interval training was more effective than moderate-intensity interval training in lowering creatine kinase and interleukin 6 levels among sports students Resti Nurpratiwi1*, Andri Suyoko2, Afif Rusdiawan3, Ariesia Dewi Ciptorini4, Muhammad Asrul Sidik2, Bhekti Lestari2, Fajar Eka Samudra3, YanuarTriardhana2, Adi Pranoto2, Laily Mita Andriana2, I Dewa Made Aryananda Wijaya Kusuma2, Rini Ismalasari2 1Department of Physiotherapy, Universitas Negeri Surabaya, Indonesia; 2Department of Sport Coaching and Education, Universitas Negeri Surabaya, Indonesia; 3Department of Sport Science, Universitas Negeri Surabaya, Indonesia; 4Department of Medicine, Universitas Negeri Surabaya, Indonesia. *Corresponding author: Resti Nurpratiwi; Department of Physiotherapy, Universitas Negeri Surabaya, Indonesia; [restinurpratiwi@unesa.ac.id](restinurpratiwi@unesa.ac.id) Received: 2025-03-13 Accepted: 2025-07-20 Published: 2025-09-26 ABSTRACT Background: This study aimed to prove that high-intensity interval training (HIIT) is superior to medium-intensity continuous training (MICT) in reducing creatine kinase and interleukin 6 (IL-6) levels in sports students after 4 weeks of exercise. Methods: The study examined the effects of two different training methods—MICTand HIIT. This study included 30 students aged 19-22 years, using a pretest-posttest control group design. Participants were randomly assigned to MICT, HIIT, or control groups (no training) and trained three times a week for four weeks. Creatine and IL-6 levels were analyzed by blood sampling. Data analysis included descriptive statistics, normality tests, and ANOVA tests to evaluate group differences. Results: HIITwas found to be more effective than MICT and the control group in reducing CK and IL-6 levels in sports students after 4 weeks of training (p< 0.001) . Conclusion: The HIIT and MICT reduced creatine kinase and IL-6 levels compared to the control group, but HIIT was more effective in reducing creatine kinase and IL-6 levels than MICT in sports students after 4 weeks of exercise. Keywords: creatine kinase, high intensity interval training, IL-6, sports student, interleukin 6, moderate intensity continous training. Cite This Article: Nurpratiwi, R., Suyoko, A., Rusdiawan, A., Ciptorini, A.D., Sidik, M.A., Lestari, B., Samudra, F.E., Triardhana, Y., Pranoto, A., Andriana, L.M., Kusuma, I.D.M.A.W., Ismalasari, R. 2025. High-intensity interval training was more effective than moderate-intensity interval training in lowering creatine kinase and interleukin 6 levels among sports students. Physical Therapy Journal of Indonesia 6(2): 194-201. DOI: 10.51559/ptji.v6i2.253 INTRODUCTION University students are a productive age group that often faces high academic demands. Lecture activities include attendance in class, completion of assignments, exams, and involvement in other campus organizations or activities.1 All of these things can lead to a great deal of busyness, which impacts students’lifestyles, including their physical activity levels.2 The density of their activities makes it difficult for students to get time to practice, especially for sports students. Sports students are required to maintain fitness and performance as sports students.3 Therefore, it is very important for them to choose a suitable exercise program and provide the best time efficiency.4 The selected exercise must be able to improve their performance or maintain their fitness but must also produce maximum benefits by minimizing the risk of muscle injury so that the recovery process after training can take place quickly and they can return to activities with optimal performance in a short time.5 Exercise interventions have a significant impact on creatine kinase (CK) and interleukin-6 (IL-6) levels in the body, especially s

FAQs

What was the study’s primary aim?

To determine whether high-intensity interval training (HIIT) is superior to medium-intensity continuous training (MICT) in lowering creatine kinase and interleukin-6 levels in sports students after four weeks of exercise.

How were participants assigned and what was the study design?

Thirty students aged 19–22 were enrolled in a pretest-posttest control group design and randomly assigned to MICT, HIIT, or a control group with no training.

How were CK and IL-6 levels measured and analyzed?

CK and IL-6 were measured using blood sampling. Data were analyzed with descriptive statistics, normality testing, and ANOVA to evaluate differences between groups.

Sep 29, 2026

Uploaded by ahduag