Short Interval Training As Good As Longer Less Intense Workouts

The ongoing debate about the benefits of quick interval training vs longer and less intense workouts is likely to go on, despite, or because of, the publication in this month’s issue of the Journal
of Physiology.  The L.A. Times reports that the study showed that both styles of exercise deliver the same cardio benefits.
The Times reports that the two-week study involved 16 college-age men, all recreational exercisers, who were
asked to exercise on stationary bicycles three times a week. One group
cycled for 30 seconds all-out, followed by four minutes of recovery, or
pedaling at a slower speed while keeping the heart rate somewhat
elevated. They repeated that several times for a total of about 20
minutes a day. The other group cycled at a moderate pace for 90 to 120
minutes a day. At
the end of the study, the men’s muscles were tested for an enzyme
that’s an indicator of the muscle’s ability to use oxygen," says lead
author Martin Gibala, associate professor of kinesiology at Canada’s
McMaster University. In both groups, the Times reports, the enzyme level increased by
about 25 percent to 30 percent.