High Intensity Workouts Yield a Bonus

It’s true that that subjects in this Yale University study were older (age 62 to 84) women, but researchers believe that the surprising results could apply to younger people too. What surprising results? The Washington Post reports that the study, published in the January issue of the Journal of Applied Physiology, indicated that women got an elevated health benefit (in this case, an improvement in a key
diabetes marker) when they exercised at high intensities, compared with
women who worked out at moderate and low intensities.
In the nine month long study, the high- and moderate-intensity groups exercised four days a week and
used the same amount of energy — each person burned 300 calories per
session — but at different paces. (The high-octane group worked at 80
percent of aerobic capacity, the mods at 65 percent and the lows stayed
under 50 percent.)  Among other gains, the Post reports, the high-intensity group was the only one to show
statistically significant improvements in glucose uptake, a critical
measure of health. Researchers also learned that those who worked out hardest retained the health benefits for 72 hours, while the moderate-intensity group held onto those benefits for only one day. Read more from the Moving Crew in the Washington Post.