‘No Time To Exercise’ Is No Excuse
A study, published in The Journal of Physiology, shows that short bursts of very intense exercise — equivalent to only a few minutes per day — can produce the same results as traditional endurance training.
The Study:
Subjects: 16 college-aged students
Protocols:
- Interval training group: 4-6 sets of 30 second “all out” bouts with 4 minutes recovery for 2 weeks.
Total training time = 2.5 hours
- Moderate-intensity group: 90-120 minutes of continuous cycling for 2 weeks.
Total training time = 10.5 hours
The Results:
Similar improvements were demonstrated in both groups for exercise performance and muscle characteristics associated with resistance to fatigue.
“The most striking finding from our study was the remarkably similar improvements in muscle health and performance induced by two such diverse training strategies,” says Martin Gibala, an associate professor of kinesiology at McMaster University.
“Our study demonstrates that interval-based exercise is a very time-efficient training strategy,” said Gibala. “This type of training is very demanding and requires a high level of motivation. However, short bursts of intense exercise may be an effective option for individuals who cite ‘lack of time’ as a major impediment to fitness.”
Blackwell Publishing Ltd. (2006, September 18). ‘No Time To Exercise’ Is No Excuse. ScienceDaily. Retrieved November 12, 2008, from http://www.sciencedaily.com /releases/2006/09/060918142456.htm
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