Fast Fitness: 3O Minutes Is as Good as an Hour

The answer to the question "How do you get as much out of 30 minutes of exercise as you get from an hour? will surprise no one. You work harder. But how much harder? This piece in the Times of London reports that research by the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) suggests that you need to keep your motor running at 80 per cent of your maximum aerobic capacity, a level at which you would be puffing and sweating. That level of exertion for 30 minutes is said to be as good as 60 percent of your maximum aerobic capacity for an hour. The Times also tells us that these intense workouts consist of interval training — typically 30-second bursts of intense activity to raise the heart rate to 75 per cent of its maximum. And of course, like all workouts, these must be consistent. Four times a week is the best way to go, and fewer than two a week doesn’t even count.