The fastest fat-melting workout is also one of the fastest, usually taking less than 20 minutes from start to finish. Known as high intensity interval training or HIIT, it requires you to move fast, very fast for a very short period of time. One researcher even calls it “one-minute training” because one version of this training method is equivalent to just 60 seconds of intensely strenuous effort, 20-second sessions interrupted by periods of rest, a sequence that is repeated several times.
You probably recognize this exercise technique as it has been written here and elsewhere many times. But have you tried it? And if so, did you do it correctly and endure this rigorous style of exercising long enough to notice the results?
HIIT works. Several studies have shown that short, vigorous exercise improves indicators of good health, such as aerobic fitness, lower blood pressure and more stable blood sugar. Exercises like HIIT can also burn more calories and reduce more visceral fat than typical resistance exercises, such as walking, running and cycling at a moderate pace, when done for an hour or more.
As well? Science is complicated; strenuous exercise triggers certain changes at the molecular level that result in what is known as excessive post-exercise oxygen consumption or EPOC. In other words, after exercise, you get a metabolic afterburn of about 24 hours, where you burn more calories than normal.
More important than weight loss are the benefits of aerobic fitness derived from fast exercise sessions, say the researchers. In an innovative study by McMaster University in Canada published in PLOS One, the researchers showed that just one minute of intense effort in a 10-minute workout was enough to reap the rewards. In the study, 14 overweight sedentary men and women were asked to do a 10-minute workout on stationary bikes, pedaling as hard and fast as they could for three 20-second intervals with 2-minute rest periods of slow pedaling between them. With a warm-up and relaxation, the entire training lasted only 10 minutes, 60 seconds of which was an intense effort. After six weeks of these 10-minute workouts done three times a week, cyclists significantly improved their aerobic capacity by an average of 12%, reduced blood pressure numbers, and increased other markers of aerobic and muscle fitness. (Related: Simple ways to keep your heart healthy.)
This is good news for people who stop exercising because they say they don’t have time to do it in their busy days. This study proves that it only takes one minute of hard work in 10 minutes of your precious training time.
And it doesn’t have to be done on an exercise bike. Martin Gibala, PhD, a professor of kinesiology at McMaster and one of the study’s principal researchers, says that almost any type of exercise can be performed as sprint intervals. He wrote a book The one-minute workout: science shows you a way to get in shape that is smarter, faster and shorter detailing various ways to incorporate HIIT training into your busy life.
A caveat: sprint intervals are very, very difficult. People who don’t get results most of the time are not trying hard enough, coaches say. It is a physical and psychological challenge. You should be fine with the feeling of discomfort.
“I tell people to imagine a bloodthirsty Rottweiler chasing them and trying to take a bite out of their tendons – run as if your life depends on it,” says Denver personal trainer and fitness writer Eric C. Stevens. He makes another critical point: “To stay motivated at that level of effort, choose an exercise that you love doing. For me, this is boxing and martial arts because of the necessary skill set and sense of community.” (Related: 10 easy ways to burn fat in 30 minutes)
But it can be any activity – rowing lessons, cycling, brisk walking, even resistance training – any activity that you can work on almost to exhaustion for short sessions.
Stevens suggests two basic types of sprint intervals to try if you want to try this super quick way to get in shape. But first, a critical step in preventing injuries: start each HIIT workout with a dynamic warm-up of your entire body for three to five minutes, he says. Make circles with your arms while walking in place, jumping jacks, jumping rope, earthworms, anything that involves all your limbs and increases your heart rate.
Use a stopwatch or watch with a second hand to mark the time. After warming up, start running, cycling or rowing for 30 seconds at a light intensity. Then, do 20 seconds at high intensity, where you will find it difficult to speak complete sentences. Without resting, go straight for a 10 second segment of maximum “chasing rottweiler” effort. You’ll know you’re pushing hard enough if you’re out of breath to speak. Repeat the 30-20-10 sequence four more times, followed by a three-minute cool-down of walking and stretching.
Always start with a dynamic warm-up of three to five minutes. Tabata training follows a 20-10 sequence. You start with 20 seconds of total high intensity effort, followed by 10 seconds of rest (pedaling or walking very slowly). Repeat the pattern seven more times for a total of four minutes. Finish with a cooldown.
“You can play with those halftime as long as you’re getting the intensity,” says Stevens. “Anerobic training takes a monstrous effort. It is also terrible at times. But if you want the body of a dancer, gymnast or sprinter, you need to train like one.”
Since HIIT is very stressful, make sure you are healthy enough before trying this exercise strategy. Visit your doctor for a complete physical exam.
Also, note that coaches like Stevens and researchers like Gibala emphasize that the most effective and efficient way to lose weight and maintain weight loss is not through exercise, but by reducing calories through a healthy diet. If sucking the wind isn’t for you, you may be interested in Lazy ways to lose weight all year long.
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