What This Means
This research explores why Chinese college students exercise or avoid exercise, and what kind of high-intensity interval training (HIIT) workouts they would prefer. Using one-on-one interviews with 16 undergraduate students, the researchers found that students were motivated to exercise mainly for health benefits, personal enjoyment, improving their appearance, having a good environment, and working out with friends. On the other hand, students faced significant barriers including lack of motivation, feeling too tired, not having enough time, finding HIIT too intense, not knowing how to do it, and external pressures like heavy academic workloads and limited facilities.
When it came to preferences for HIIT workouts, most students preferred bodyweight exercises (no equipment needed), done about three times per week in sessions longer than 30 minutes. The researchers interpreted these findings through the lens of Self-Determination Theory, which suggests that people are more likely to stick with an activity when they feel a sense of personal choice (autonomy), feel capable of doing it (competence), and feel connected to others (relatedness). Several of the identified barriers — like not knowing how to do HIIT or finding it too hard — relate directly to feeling incompetent, which could undermine long-term participation.
This research suggests that exercise programs for Chinese college students are more likely to succeed if they are designed to match students' preferences (such as bodyweight exercises done three times a week), while also addressing psychological needs for autonomy, competence, and social connection. Practical implications include designing beginner-friendly HIIT programs that reduce intimidation, incorporate social elements like group training, and reduce the time burden to help students fit exercise into their busy academic schedules.