Background: Evidence regarding the effects of exercise snacks on body composition and cardiometabolic health remains limited. This study examined 12 weeks of combined aerobic–resistance exercise snacks on body fat percentage (BF%) and cardiometabolic index (CMI) in sedentary male university students with overweight or obesity.
Methods: In this randomized controlled trial, 63 male university students volunteered and were screened; 36 eligible participants were randomly allocated to exercise-snack (n = 18) or control (n = 18) groups. The exercise group completed 15 sessions/week (75 min/week) for 12 weeks. Body weight, BMI, BF%, waist circumference (WC), triglycerides (TG), high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C), and CMI were assessed before and after the intervention.
Results: Compared with controls, the exercise group had lower body weight (−5.66 kg), BMI (−1.78 kg/m²), BF% (−2.01 percentage points), and TG (−18.96 mg/dL), and higher HDL-C (+3.76 mg/dL; all P ≤ 0.001). At the overall mean baseline WC (98.62 cm) and CMI (1.955), estimated between-group differences were −5.88 cm and −0.49 units, respectively (both P < 0.001).
Conclusion: The intervention was associated with favorable short-term changes in body composition and selected lipid and cardiometabolic indices in the studied population. WC and CMI estimates were conditional on baseline values. The absence of quantified dietary intake, exercise adherence, and a conventional-training comparator precludes determining the independent contribution of the exercise-snack format. Longer controlled trials are needed to assess reproducibility, durability, and clinical relevance.