One minute of hard exercise is as good as 45 minutes of moderate exercise, according to a recent study.
"This is a very time-efficient workout strategy," Martin Gibala, a professor of kinesiology at
McMaster University and lead author of the study, said in a statement. "Brief bursts of intense exercise are remarkably effective."
Pitting the benefits of sprint interval training against those of moderate-intensity continuous training, the study examined 27 sedentary men performing three weekly sessions of either intense or moderate training for 12 weeks. The two groups followed the same warm up and cool down routine. One group performed three 20-second cycling sprints separated by two minutes of easy cycling for recovery. The other group performed 45 minutes of continuous cycling at a moderate pace.
The results on key measures of cardiorespiratory fitness and insulin sensitivity were “remarkably similar,” according to the report.
“Most people cite ‘lack of time’ as the main reason for not being active,” Gibala said. “Our study shows that an interval-based approach can be more efficient — you can get health and fitness benefits comparable to the traditional approach, in less time . . . The basic principles apply to many forms of exercise. Climbing a few flights of stairs on your lunch hour can provide a quick and effective workout. The health benefits are significant.”
Medical News Today reported that less than half of U.S. adults meet the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s recommendation for 150 minutes of moderate exercise, 75 minutes of vigorous exercise, or an equivalent combination each week.
One personal trainer cautioned, though, that sprint interval training is not a
quick fix for couch potatoes, NBC News reported.
“The body responds to progression. You can’t just pound it and expect results,” he said.
Twitter users shared mixed reactions to the study results.
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