ExerCube vs. High-Intensity Interval Training

Comparing the training intensity and experience in healthy young adults 

Having an active lifestyle and performing regular physical exercise can contribute to a healthy life quality and in addition can contribute to primary and secondary prevention of several chronic diseases. 

High intensity interval training (HIIT) is a time-efficient approach for enhancing health-related fitness and body composition in adolescents. Nevertheless, a lack of motivation exists in some people to regularly perform physical exercise at a higher intensity. To counteract this lack of motivation for intense whole-body training, an exergame called ExerCube was developed integrating physical exercises into a stimulating virtual environment. Exergames, also called fitness games, were invented to combine the interesting setup of video gaming with the performance of physical exertion.

The primary objective of the study is to compare the training intensity level of the ExerCube to conventional HIIT in young healthy adults. The training intensity is primarily determined via heart rate recordings. The secondary objectives include participant’s intrinsic and extrinsic motivation as well as their flow experience and enjoyment during the trainings. 

The project is a collaboration of our research group with the company external page Sphery.