Six Minutes to Fitness–Yes, That’s Six Minutes a Week

Fast food may be out, but fast fitness is in.  Big time. Just a few weeks ago, the American College of Sports Medicine claimed that  the benefit of 30 minutes of intense exercise was equal to or greater than a full hour of a more comforable routine. Now the BBC reports on a study conducted at Canada’s McMaster University that makes 30 minutes look profligate. The study claims that just six minutes of intense exercise a week could be as effective as six hours of moderate activity. The study, published in the Journal of Applied Physiology, showed that short bursts of very intense exercise improved muscle capacity, and improved endurance.  McMaster researchers compared 23 people given different three-times-a-week training regimes. One group cycled for two hours a day at a moderate pace, and a second cycled for 10 minutes a day in 60-second bursts, at a slightly harder pace, and a third group took part in sprint training – cycling at top speed for two minutes in 30 second bursts with four minutes rest between each sprint.  When the researchers looked at the rate at which their muscles absorbed oxygen – a key measure of fitness – was the same for all three groups.  Think about that. Quickly.