Can’t think of anything worse than hitting the gym for an hour or going for a 5K run? Us either!
But a new study, the findings of which were published in the PLoS One journal, is claiming that a super short, intensive workout is just as effective as a longer, less intensive one.
Everybody knows that regular exercise is a vital part of a healthy lifestyle and has numerous benefits but with responsibilities including kids and work, it’s not always possible to squeeze it in.
However, that doesn’t have to be the case because new research has revealed that 1 minute (yes, as in 60 seconds) of intense exercise is as beneficial as 45 minutes of moderate exercise.
Health.com reports that experts in Canada took a group of men and divided them into two groups.
The first group did interval training involving three 20-second sprints on exercise bicycles. It also involved a warm-up, a cool-down and two minutes of easy cycling between the sprints (so 10 minutes in total).
The other group did 45 minutes of continuous cycling at a moderate speed along with the same warm-up and cool-down.
Their conclusion was that after 12 weeks of training this way three times a week, both groups had similar levels of heart/lung fitness and insulin sensitivity.
In other words, the experiment found that high-intensity, brief workouts are just as good for you as longer, moderate workouts.
While this isn’t exactly a revelation, we are liking the sound of 1-minute gym sessions!
