Are there benefits to 5-minute workouts? The opinions of scientists were divided
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Research shows that high-intensity interval training can improve fitness, prevent disease, and prolong life. However, some scientists express skeptical opinions and even reservations about such activity.
High-intensity interval training involves alternating maximum physical exertion for 20-60 seconds and short breaks, writes The New York Times.
Scientists have been investigating the effects of high-intensity interval training on the human body for more than two decades. They claim that this type of exercise has the same benefits as moderate-intensity exercise.
The researchers also looked at whether short bursts of activity could be beneficial if there were hours of rest in between, rather than seconds.
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Small laboratory studies suggest that microtraining can improve health. In one of them, 12 young people who did not do physical exercises climbed 60 steps three times a day. They did it three times a week. Thus, after six weeks, their aerobic endurance improved by 5%.
“The effect of this was about the same as if they had practiced brisk walking for 30 minutes three times a week“, – says Jonathan Little, the lead author of the study and a professor at the University of British Columbia.
Another study involved 25,000 British adults. His results showed that just one to two minutes of vigorous exercise three times a day reduced the risk of death from cardiovascular disease by about 50%.
Exercise improves a person’s endurance, including muscle and cardiovascular strength, says Dr. Philip Skiba, a physical therapist in Park Ridge, Illinois.
“Vigorous exercise stimulates muscles more than moderate exercise, but bursts lasting just 20 seconds are unlikely to lead to significant health improvements“, he says.
Panteleimon Ekkekakis, a professor of exercise psychology at the University of Michigan, says that the benefits of high-intensity training can be overstated. According to him, laboratory studies of such classes are mostly not long-term and thorough, and therefore are not very representative.
“Although some research testifythat intense interval training is safe even for people undergoing cardiac rehabilitation, in some cases, strenuous exercise can increase the risk of sudden heart problems.
Therefore, if you have a history of heart problems or have been sedentary for many years, you should first consult a doctor,“, says Dr. Skiba.
Micro training may not actually motivate people to exercise. Research shows that time constraints are not their biggest obstacle. Many people do not like this pace of training, especially when they are just starting to engage in physical activity, scientists say.
Vigorous exercise for five minutes is likely to provide some benefit, especially if you really don’t have time to exercise, the scientists agree.
However, they emphasize that the health benefits of weekly exercise in the form of 150 minutes of moderate activity or 75 minutes of vigorous movement are confirmed by numerous studies involving thousands of participants.
Read also: Magic pill or marketing? How weight loss marathons work, and why the effect can be short-lived
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