School strength and interval training may help boys put things off less

The study

1. 01

   Who took part

   77 boys in 11th grade at one high school in Sichuan, China, aged about 16 to 17. Ninety were signed up at first, and 77 finished the study.

2. 02

   What they did

   Boys were split at random into four groups for 12 weeks. The usual group did standard school exercise: group gymnastics at break and running in PE. The other groups swapped in strength training, short hard exercise bursts called HIIT, or both.

3. 03

   What happened

   After 12 weeks, the three new-training groups put things off less, and the usual group put things off more. Time management improved more in the strength groups than in the usual group. The paper’s numbers don’t all add up, and its summary claims more than its results show.

What the study found

1. HelpedProcrastination

   Strength training, short hard exercise bursts, or both, at school made boys put things off less than usual exercise did.

   Small randomised trial of 77 high school boys · vs boys on usual school exercise · they rated themselves · ⚠ only counted people who finished; numbers unreliable; summary claims more than the results show

2. HelpedTime management

   Strength training, alone or with short hard bursts, raised time management more than usual exercise did.

   Small randomised trial of 77 high school boys · vs boys on usual school exercise · they rated themselves · ⚠ only counted people who finished; numbers unreliable; summary claims more than the results show

Source