Just One Minute Of Intense Exercise Can Benefit As Much As 45 Minutes Of It: Study

Missing out on exercise just does not have any excuse anymore, finds a team of researchers from McMaster University in Canada. Just one minute of intense exercise can show as many advantages to the body as longer endurance training.

Looking at the effects of sprint interval training (SIT) and moderate-intensity continuous training (MICT), scientists focused on vital health indicators such as cardiorespiratory fitness and insulin sensitivity.

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

While the SIT protocol, or three 20-second "all-out" sprints, can help to enhance fitness, in the latest study it is recommended that SIT workouts are boosted to 10 minutes, so that scientists can factor a two-minute warm-up as well as a three-minute cool-down, and also light cycling to help as a "recovery exercise between the sprints."

Examining  27 sedentary men involved in three weekly sessions of intense or moderate training, scientists compared them to other groups indulging in 45 minutes of continuous cycling "at a moderate pace as well as the same warm-up and cool-down periods."

The team found that every group was part of 12 weeks of training. There was another control group that did not exercise.

It was shown that both groups revealed identical results, although the group that undertook the MICT protocol tended to exercise five times as much as the SIT group.

"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," he added. "Climbing a few flights of stairs on your lunch hour can provide a quick and effective workout. The health benefits are significant."

The findings were published in the April 26 issue of PLOS ONE.