ONE MINUTE WORKOUT

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ONE MINUTE WORKOUT





Researchers at McMaster University have found that a single minute of intense exercise produces health benefits similar to longer, traditional endurance training.

The findings rest on he standard excuse for not getting in shape: there is not enough time.

"This is a very time-efficient workout strategy," says Martin Gibala, a kinesiology professor at McMaster and lead author on the study. "Brief bursts of intense exercise are remarkably effective."

Scientists determine how sprint interval training (SIT) is compared to moderate-intensity continuous training (MICT), as recommended in public health guidelines. They examined key health indicators, including cardiorespiratory fitness and insulin sensitivity, to measure how the body regulates blood sugar.

A total of 27 sedentary men were recruited and assigned to perform three weekly sessions of either intense or moderate training for 12 weeks, or a control group that did not exercise.

The McMaster team has previously shown that the SIT protocol, which involved three 20-second 'all-out' cycle sprints, effectively boosted fitness. The workout totaled just 10 minutes, including a 2-minute warm-up and 3-minute cooldown, and two minutes of easy cycling for recovery between the hard sprints.

The new study compared the SIT protocol with a group that performed 45 minutes of continuous cycling at a moderate pace, plus the same warm-up and cool down. After 12 weeks of training, the results were remarkably similar, even though the MICT protocol involved five times as much exercise and a five-fold greater time commitment.

"Most people cite 'lack of time' as the main reason for not being active," according to Gibala. "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."

Gibala, who has studied interval training for more than a decade, was the first researcher to show that a few minutes per week of intense exercise produced benefits similar to those of longer, continuous workouts. Over time, his team has experimented with different protocols to identify the most time-efficient exercise strategies.

"The basic principles apply to many forms of exercise," he says. "Climbing a few flights of stairs on your lunch hour can provide a quick and effective workout. The health benefits are significant."

The findings are published online in the journal PLOS ONE.

Story Source:

Materials provided by McMaster University. 

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