Researchers at McMaster University found that completing high intensity interval exercises for just 10 minutes a day could produce significant health benefits, equivalent to those gained by 45 minutes of daily traditional, aerobic exercise. (Photo Credits: Wikimedia Commons, Indigo Fitness Club Zürich)
Exercising regularly is difficult, and people who ease off exercising primarily do so because of a lack of time (1). However, new research by scientists at McMaster University shows that the effectiveness of exercise depends mainly on intensity, rather than duration. One type of workout known as “sprint interval training” can be completed in 10 minutes, yet produces similar health benefits to 50 minute periods of traditional endurance training (1).
The study compared sprint interval training (SIT) with traditional moderate-intensity continuous training (MICT) on stationary exercise bikes. Subjects were men who scored within the “inactive” category of the International Physical Activity Questionnaire, and controlled for age, BMI, and peak oxygen intake, a measure of their cardiometabolic fitness. Men in the experimental groups were assigned to either 12 weeks of SIT training, which consisted of three bursts of 20 second “all-out” cycling with two minutes of slow cycling between each sprint or 12 weeks of MICT training, which involved 45 minutes of cycling at 70% of the participant’s maximum heart rate. Both groups also completed a 2 minute warm-up and 3 minute cool-down routine. A third group, in which participants did not alter their sedentary lifestyle, acted as a control (2).
The study measured peak oxygen intake, insulin sensitivity, and skeletal muscle mitochondrial content before and after 12 weeks of SIT, MICT, or inactivity. Insulin sensitivity and mitochondrial content are both measures of metabolic health (2). Results demonstrated similar changes to these indices between the experimental groups assigned to either SIT or MICT. In both groups, peak oxygen levels, insulin sensitivity index, and skeletal muscle mitochondrial content all increased significantly, while there was no significant change in any of these measures for the control group (2).
The data collected by this study demonstrate that SIT is as effective as MICT in producing cardiovascular benefits, “despite a five-fold lower exercise volume and time commitment” (2). Based on these results, the researchers plan to continue investigating different interval training protocols, in order to determine the most effective and time-efficient exercise routine (1).
References:
- McMaster University. (2016, April 27). No time to get fit? Think again: Just one minute of intense exercise produces significant health benefits. ScienceDaily. Retrieved April 29, 2016 from www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2016/04/160427095204.htm
- Gillen, J. B., Martin, B. J., Macinnis, M. J., Skelly, L. E., Tarnopolsky, M. A., & Gibala, M. J. (2016). Twelve Weeks of Sprint Interval Training Improves Indices of Cardiometabolic Health Similar to Traditional Endurance Training despite a Five-Fold Lower Exercise Volume and Time Commitment. PLoS ONE, 11(4). doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0154075