Three Minute Workouts Can Substantially Improve Metabolism
March 7th 2009 -
The January edition of the journal BMC Endocrine Disorders contains a report on research conducted at Heriot-Watt University Edinburgh, Scotland. Researchers there have shown that an extremely short high-intensity interval training workout can improve metabolic function substantially in as little as two weeks. How short is extremely short? Try, 3 minute workouts done just a few days each week.
Professor James Timmons and a team of researchers at Heriot-Watt tested the insulin action and glucose clearance of 16 sedentary male volunteers, then started them working out. The workouts consisted of short maximum intensity 30-second sprints on a stationary bike, with the total exercise time being three minutes. The volunteers repeated these workouts every few days.
When tested two weeks later, the volunteers were seen to have “substantially improved both insulin action and glucose clearance” even though the total workout time was far shorter than any commonly-accepted guidelines.
The researchers went on to say that while the standard workout guidelines of several hours a week of moderate to vigorous exercise are a fine target, few people are accomplishing this. The benefits of very short HIIT workouts are substantial, and could provide an alternative for people who can’t or won’t meet the standard workout guidelines.
This study is yet another example of the clear benefits of short, high-intensity HIIT style workouts when compared to more traditional workouts. And there’s another way to look at these results. If a bunch of sedentary volunteers could achieve substantial metabolic improvements in just a couple of weeks of super-short HIIT workouts, what can you achieve if you adopt a total muscle building and fitness plan that applies HIIT principles?
To read a review of a complete fitness and muscle building plan that employs HIIT principles to deliver exceptional results, visit http://GetFitAtLast.com