NEW STUDY: Short, Intense Exercise Better Than Endurance Training
Ronald Grisanti D.C.,.D.A.B.C.O., M.S.
New study reported in the June edition of the Journal of Applied Physiology has discovered that short bouts of very intense exercise improved muscle health and performance comparable to several weeks of traditional endurance training. According to Martin Gibala, an associate professor in the department of kinesiology of McMaster University and leader of this exciting new study, performing repeated bouts of high-intensity sprint-type exercise resulted in significant changes in skeletal muscle and endurance capacity, similar to training that requires hours of exercise each week. The study was conducted on 16 subjects: eight who performed a two-week sprint interval training program and eight who did no exercise training. The training program consisted of between four and seven 30-second bursts of "all out" cycling followed by four minutes of recovery three times a week for two weeks. Endurance capacity in the sprint group increased on average from 26 minutes to 51 minutes, the researchers found, whereas the control group showed no change. Although this type of training may be slighltly more challenging and requires a greater level of motivation, the less frequent, higher intensity exercise can lead to improvements in health and fitness in a much shorter amount of time. Stay Informed and Subscribe to Dr. Grisanti's Free Health Tip of the Week
Reference: Kirsten A. Burgomaster,Scott C. Hughes,George J. F. Heigenhauser, Suzanne N. Bradwell, and Martin J. Gibala. Six sessions of sprint interval training increases muscle oxidative potential and cycle endurance capacity in humans.
Exercise Metabolism Research Group, Department of Kinesiology, and Department of Medicine, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada J Appl Physiol
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