Two Minute Sprints Burn Fat Like 30 Minute Workouts

Researchers asked eight male students to partake in either 30 minutes of endurance exercise or two-minutes of sprint intervals, three times a week for six weeks. Researchers measured their oxygen consumption (VO₂) during and after 24 hours of exercise. Their VO₂ was 150 percent higher during endurance exercise than sprinting intervals, yet after 24 hours the overall amount of oxygen consumed between athletes was nearly identical.

The study suggests that when it comes to exercise and metabolism, intensity may be just as important as how long we’rehitting the roads. For those who don’t have 30 minutes to spare, two minutes of (now here’s the key!) intense sprinting will boost metabolism over the next day just as much as a longer aerobic jaunt.

On the flip side, the results are based on a super small sample and only included male subjects. The abstract also leaves us wondering whatthe two aerobic exercises were, exactly, and what shape the men were in to start with. Caveats aside, there is enough science to say that aerobic exercise will help people get healthy and happy, so make sure to squeeze in some heart-pumping cardio, no matter how many minutes long.

International Journal Sport Nutrition and Exercise Metabolism, Aug. 2012