Exploring the Impact of Pleasure-Oriented Exercise on Motivation and Behavior in Health Clubs: Results From a Randomized Controlled Trial Ancillary Study.

Abstract

Pleasurable affective responses are linked to sustained exercise behavior, positioning hedonic-based approaches as promising strategies to reduce physical inactivity. This ancillary study compared two individualized methods of exercise assessment, prescription, and supervision, standard (FITT) approach and a pleasure-oriented (FITT + AFFECT) approach, examining their effects on motivational and behavioral outcomes. Forty-six insufficiently active adults (Mage = 32, SD = 8.62) were randomly assigned to either group and completed three supervised gym sessions over 2 weeks. The FITT group followed American College of Sports Medicine-aligned guidelines, whereas the FITT + AFFECT group received prescriptions tailored to promote pleasurable experiences through intensity preference/tolerance, self-selected intensity, and repeated affective monitoring. Intention to exercise, exercise-related habit, perceived choice, perceived competence, intrinsic motivation, and subjective vitality were assessed and analyzed using descriptive statistics and analyses of variance. Both approaches improved motivational and behavioral outcomes, although without significant group-by-time interactions, suggesting that the previously observed increase in exercise frequency in the experimental group may operate through mechanisms beyond these constructs.