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According to the , an estimated 68% of the Portuguese population is physically inactive. This high prevalence of physical inactivity can be attributed to two primary factors: the small number of individuals who opt to initiate a regular physical activity program and the alarmingly high dropout rates among those who do (). Although previous studies have consistently highlighted motivational and emotional factors as critical determinants of exercise behavior, attrition rates in fitness center settings remain exceptionally high (; ). Consequently, there is a pressing need to investigate novel theoretical frameworks and alternative factors that may be associated with long-term exercise adherence. To elucidate the mechanisms underlying exercise adherence, the relationship between exercise and affective responses has become a primary focus in exercise psychology (). Rooted in Hedonic Theory, human behavior is driven by the pursuit of pleasure. From this perspective, an individual’s affective response to an activity dictates whether that behavior will be repeated (). Specifically, the pleasure or displeasure experienced during physical exercise acts as a crucial determinant of long-term adherence, although it interacts with and competes against various other biopsychosocial and environmental factors (). Affect is conceptualized as a neurophysiologically accessible state of pleasure or displeasure (). It is the most basic building block of all emotional responses. According to the circumplex model of affect, these responses can be mapped across two orthogonal dimensions: valence (pleasure vs. displeasure) and perceived activation (high vs. low) as described in the literature (; ). In recent years, authors have argued that the role of affect in exercise motivation has been underestimated in contemporary theoretical work (). Drawing from the Affect and Health Behavior Framework, positive affective responses, or positive shifts in hedonic valence, are linked to behavioral repetition, whereas negative affective responses prompt behavioral avoidance (; ; ). Therefore, when individuals experience positive feelings during exercise, the probability of repeating the activity significantly increases (). In the pursuit of understanding affective responses, exercise intensity emerges as a crucial variable. The relationship between exercise intensity and affect is conceptualized as an “inverted-U” dose-response curve. While moderate intensities, approaching 60%–70% of maximal aerobic capacity, tend to produce significant affective benefits, intensities that are excessively low or exceedingly high are ineffective at fostering positive affective changes (,). Specifically, exercising above the ventilatory threshold frequently triggers a decline in affective valence, resulting in displeasure and, subsequently, program dropout (; ).