If you’ve been scheduling hour-long gym sessions in preparation for summer, here’s some good news for you. It might just take one minute to reap the benefits of a complete sweat session.
New research, published in the journal PLOS One, and completed by a team at McMaster University, reveals that high-intensity interval training (HIIT) is here to stay. The workout, which alternates quick bursts of activity with short periods of rest, has long been lauded by studios like CrossFit, Barry’s Bootcamp, and SoulCycle. But now, it turns out you need just one minute — yes, 60 seconds — to get sufficient exercise in one day.
To complete the study, researchers at the Ontario-based university followed the workout regimens of 25 out-of-shape younger men, and divided them into three groups. One was instructed to continue their current workout plan (or lack thereof), the second started an endurance-based regimen (with a short warm up, a 45-minute biking session, and a cool down), and the third completed interval training. The HIIT program included a two-minute cycling warm up, a 20-second pedal sprint, another relaxing two-minute ride, followed by another 20-second sprint. This routine repeated throughout and lasted only 10 minutes with the sprints accounting for one full minute.
After a 12-week period, the scientists discovered that the endurance and HIIT groups had virtually the same results — increased overall endurance and improved insulin resistance — but the interval group had spent significantly less time working out.
“If you are an elite athlete, then obviously incorporating both endurance and interval training into an overall program maximizes performance,” says Martin Gibala, the main researcher of the study. “But if you are someone, like me, who just wants to boost health and fitness and you don’t have 45 minutes or an hour to work out, our data show that you can get big benefits from even a single minute of intense exercise.”
Hear that? No need to spend hours on a treadmill or elliptical. Just 60 seconds will do.
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