Cosmetic Surgery & Beauty #73

feature
Library of Science), it was found that brief bursts
of exercise can be used when time is limited, and
the greater the intensity, the more calories to you
will burn.
The research examined the benefits of sprint
interval training – exercise characterised by brief
intermittent bursts of relatively intense exercise
separated by periods of low-intensity exercise
for recovery.
Study participants trained around three times
per week over 12 weeks. One group performed
interval training, including three 20 second all
out sprints spread out over 10 minutes, while
another group exercised at a moderate intensity
for 50 minutes.
The results demonstrated both groups
achieved similar benefits in various measures
of health and fitness, including insulin
sensitivity, cardiorespiratory fitness, and muscle
cell adaptations.
One prominent difference between the groups
was the duration that the sprint interval group
exercised for was five times less in total.
How to
train in
short
intervals
Incorporating sprint intervals into your training
routine is simple and effective.
The following regimen was used by participants
in the McMaster University research project and
repeated three times a week. You can replace
cycling with a range of other exercises including
swimming, skipping, running and boxing.
• 2 minutes – Warm up
• 20 seconds – All out 100% effort cycling
• 2 minutes – Active rest (cycling very slowly at
10 – 20% effort)
• 20 seconds – All out 100% effort cycling
• 2 minutes – Active rest (cycling very slowly at
10 – 20% effort)
• 20 seconds – All out 100% effort cycling
• 3 minutes – Cool down by cycling slowly and
stretching
The total duration of the workout is 10 minutes,
although it’s only a total of 60 seconds all-out
effort, or three minutes a week. Lack of time is no
longer an excuse! csbm
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