We've all experienced this familiar situation. Due to family, work, travel or other commitments, the day flies by. There's no time to fit in your workout. A few consecutive days like this, we worry that we'll lose our hard-earned fitness, start gaining weight and carve a serious hole in our training plans.
Fortunately, new research from the UK concludes that a single 2 minute high intensity interval yields the same health benefits as a traditional interval workout! (Thanks to Craig Ballantyne of TurbulenceTraining Fat Loss for bringing the research to our attention).
In the study, Laura Whyte at the University of Glasgow and her colleagues split their subjects into two groups:
Group A: 4 x 30 second sprint, with a 4.5 minute rest between each repeat
Group B: 1 x 2 minute sprint, no rest (that's was it)
Group B attempted to maintain top speed for the entire 2 minutes. They got tired, slowed down but kept on running at maximum effort.
The surprising result was that both groups showed the same health benefits. Group B derived the same fitness benefits as group A, in only one seventh the workout time!
Each group ran for 2 minutes. Group A's total workout time was 15.5 minutes; Group B's was just 2 minutes. Incredible!
Before you hastily start overhauling your training program, please note that there are shortcomings with a conclusion drawn from this single study. The research subjects were overweight men. Similar research needs to be done on fit female subjects. Frequently, research on women yields different results than the same research on men.
Each group ran 2 minutes. A single interval is not a replacement for a standard speed or intensity workout that's an integral part of a well designed training program, even if both sessions are for the same running time. For example, a workout of 10 x 400 in 2:00 minutes, can't be replaced by a 1 x 20 minute hard run. You would not be able to stay in the correct training zone (90% of maximum heart rate) for 20 minutes. Therefore, you would not derive the intended benefits of your workout. You would hurt your race-preparedness.
How to apply this research to your training?
If you are really strapped for time and there is no way you could fit in your regular training run, lace up your shoes, warm up briefly and sprint all out for 2 minutes... like you may have done in grade school when the schoolyard bully was chasing you.
You will maintain your fitness (in the short term). You will derive the physical, psychological and emotional benefits that result from completing a good workout.
In the past, we've recommended the CESW (Convenient Efficient Speed Workout) as a fitness saver for the time-strapped. Next time, we'll try the Two Minute Shorty.
Fortunately, new research from the UK concludes that a single 2 minute high intensity interval yields the same health benefits as a traditional interval workout! (Thanks to Craig Ballantyne of TurbulenceTraining Fat Loss for bringing the research to our attention).
In the study, Laura Whyte at the University of Glasgow and her colleagues split their subjects into two groups:
Group A: 4 x 30 second sprint, with a 4.5 minute rest between each repeat
Group B: 1 x 2 minute sprint, no rest (that's was it)
Group B attempted to maintain top speed for the entire 2 minutes. They got tired, slowed down but kept on running at maximum effort.
The surprising result was that both groups showed the same health benefits. Group B derived the same fitness benefits as group A, in only one seventh the workout time!
Each group ran for 2 minutes. Group A's total workout time was 15.5 minutes; Group B's was just 2 minutes. Incredible!
Before you hastily start overhauling your training program, please note that there are shortcomings with a conclusion drawn from this single study. The research subjects were overweight men. Similar research needs to be done on fit female subjects. Frequently, research on women yields different results than the same research on men.
Each group ran 2 minutes. A single interval is not a replacement for a standard speed or intensity workout that's an integral part of a well designed training program, even if both sessions are for the same running time. For example, a workout of 10 x 400 in 2:00 minutes, can't be replaced by a 1 x 20 minute hard run. You would not be able to stay in the correct training zone (90% of maximum heart rate) for 20 minutes. Therefore, you would not derive the intended benefits of your workout. You would hurt your race-preparedness.
How to apply this research to your training?
If you are really strapped for time and there is no way you could fit in your regular training run, lace up your shoes, warm up briefly and sprint all out for 2 minutes... like you may have done in grade school when the schoolyard bully was chasing you.
You will maintain your fitness (in the short term). You will derive the physical, psychological and emotional benefits that result from completing a good workout.
In the past, we've recommended the CESW (Convenient Efficient Speed Workout) as a fitness saver for the time-strapped. Next time, we'll try the Two Minute Shorty.
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