Work out hard or hardly work out.
A new study published in the online journal BMJ Open found that you get more health benefits from short, super-intense workouts than longer, slower ones. According to the article, participants who completed short, fast-paced walks reduced their risk of developing metabolic syndrome—a precursor of type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease—by 50 percent.
But the same couldn’t be said for long, leisurely walkers. “To our surprise, we found walking slowly—no matter the duration—does not provide much of a health benefit,” says Eva Prescott, MD, one of the study’s authors. In fact, participants who walked at an easier pace for as much as 1 hour a day were not associated with any reduced risk, according to the study.
Not only that, but slow and steady workouts don’t have much of an impact on your waistline, either. Instead, the best exercises to shed weight fast: Interval workouts. According to another study, published by the American Physiological Society, exercisers can burn as many as 200 extra calories in as little as 2.5 minutes of concentrated effort a day, as long as they intersperse longer periods of easy recovery.
In that study, participants performed five 30-second, high-intensity sprints separated by 4 minutes of low-intensity recovery on stationary bikes.
“This is an intense exercise,” says lead study researcher Kyle Sevits, nutrition and exercise science graduate student at Colorado State University. “To get the maximum benefit, 100 percent of a person’s ability must be put forward on each and every sprint.” Chances are you’ll sweat—a lot—but with 200 extra calories potentially burned, it’s worth it.
To perform your own high-intensity bike sprint sequence, follow these tips from Sevits:
Find your sprint hot spot
Start to pedal as fast as possible on zero resistance. When your legs are going at their maximum speed, quickly increase the resistance to a higher number—while maintaining your fast pace, Sevits says. Start the 30-second timer.
Do not pace yourself
You should be sprinting as fast as possible throughout the entire 30-second sprint. “If you’re truly exerting 100-percent effort, then you’ll need all 4 minutes of recovery” Sevits says.
Push yourself to your limits
Like with any new exercise, don’t do too much too soon. Start with a couple of sprints, increasing the number every couple of workout sessions. Study participants, who were fit and of normal weight, completed five sprint sequences—totaling 24.5 minutes of exercise, Sevits says. That’s a great goal to set.
Recruit a cheering squad
Do interval training with a friend or perform it with a personal trainer. “A high amount of motivation is required to complete a sprint interval training session,” Sevits says. “The peer or coach support will go a long way to keep you at 100 percent of your ability level.”
Want even more sweat-dripping ideas? Reap the healthy benefits of short, high-intensity exercise by incorporating these workouts into your weekly routine.
15-Minute Belly, Butt, and Thigh Workouts:
The Belly Blaster
Bye-Bye Arm Jiggle
Lower-Body Toner
More from WH:
The Benefits of 15-Minute Workouts
The Best Workouts for Women
4 Killer Abs Exercises
