Application of high intensity interval training for astronauts as a countermeasure to microgravity
The redistribution of body fluids towards the head will lead to cardiovascular dysfunction when exposed to microgravity environment.De-gravity unloading can cause degenerative adaptation of nerves and muscles,posing numerous challenges for astronauts returning to the Earth's gravitational environment.In severe cases,it can even threaten the health and safety of astronauts.Although exercise is the most effective weightlessness protection measure,the current weightlessness protection programs based on traditional exercise are too time-consuming.High intensity interval training(HIIT),an efficient training strategy,is widely used in competitive sports and it can rapidly improve human physical performance in the short term through a combination of high-intensity exercise with small and low intervals or active rest repetitions.The use of different modes of HIIT training combinations can simultaneously improve cardiovascular health and neuromuscular function.HIIT may be a more effective strategy for preventing weight loss during exercise.Through a systematic review of the classification,mechanism of action,and determining factors of training effectiveness of HIIT,and a feasibility analysis of implementing HIIT in space microgravity environments,it is proposed that HIIT may become an optimization strategy for current space station astronaut exercise programs,thereby more effectively saving resources.Therefore,it is necessary to take ground-based simulated microgravity experiment to deeply study and fully verify various HIIT training schemes which might be used for astronauts to counter microgravity effects.