Abstract
Background: Previous research has demonstrated the relationship between exercise enjoyment and attitudes following acute exercise (e.g., Martin Ginis et al., 2006). Furthermore, music has been shown to enhance the enjoyment of acute exercise (e.g., Miller et al., 2010). However, less is known about the relationship between exercise enjoyment and intentions.
Purpose: To evaluate the relationship between enjoyment, attitudes, and intentions towards sprint interval training (SIT), when SIT is performed with and without music.
Methods: Twenty moderately active adults (22±4years), unfamiliar with SIT, completed an acute session of SIT under two different conditions: music and no music. The exercise consisted of four, 30-second “all-out” Wingate Anaerobic Test bouts on a cycle ergometer, separated by four minutes of rest. Perceived enjoyment, attitudes, and intentions towards SIT were measured post-exercise for each condition. Overall intentions to engage in SIT were also measured at follow-up. Paired sample t-tests were conducted to compare differences in enjoyment, attitudes, and intentions post-exercise between the two conditions. Mediation analysis was used to determine if post-exercise attitudes mediate the effects of post-exercise enjoyment on overall intentions.
Results: Perceived enjoyment and attitudes towards SIT were significantly higher in the music than no music condition (ps<0.01). However, intentions towards SIT were not significantly different between conditions (p=0.29). Post-exercise attitudes mediated the effects of post-exercise enjoyment on overall intentions in the music condition (B=0.057, 95%CI=0.022,0.101) and in the no music condition (B=0.051, 95%CI=0.018,0.094).
Conclusion: Enjoyment of an acute bout of SIT was predictive of attitudes towards SIT, which in turn mediated future intentions to participate in SIT. Although enjoyment and attitudes towards SIT were higher after the music condition, the mediation effect of attitudes on the enjoyment-intentions relationship was still present in the no-music condition. Individuals can still develop positive intentions towards SIT regardless of whether they listen to music during exercise.
