Myth surrounds the new four-minute workout
Don’t abandon your routine for a quick fix
The race is on to see just how quickly we can get in shape. The current gold standard of 150 minutes of exercise a week has been overshadowed by recent reports that as few as four minutes a day are enough to improve fitness.
That we’re enticed by the possibility of getting fit in so little time speaks volumes about how we view exercise. Clearly, for most people, workouts are more of a chore than something to take pleasure in, which is why any possibility that it can be over and done with quickly is regarded as good news. But even for those who dread pulling on their workout clothes, the idea that you can get in shape while waiting for a pot of water to boil seems too good to be true.
Yet the body of evidence supporting short, intense bouts of exercise as a way to improve fitness is becoming more robust, suggesting that condensed workouts may indeed be the wave of the future.
The latest study contributing to the less-equals-more school of thought is based out of the Norwegian School of Science and Technology. A research team compared the physiological effects of four separate fourminute intervals performed at 90 per cent of maximum heart rate with three minutes of rest between each interval, against a single four-minute workout done at the same high intensity. Both groups followed their respective programs three times a week for 10 weeks.
At the end of the trial, both groups of middleaged, overweight men had similar gains in VO2 max (aerobic power) and similar improvements in blood pressure and blood sugar readings. “The good news is that you can get the physiological benefits from exercise very quickly,” said Tim Caulfield, Canada research chairman in Health Law and Policy and author of The Cure for Everything: Untangling the Twisted Messages about Health, Fitness and Happiness.
Yet as optimistic as Caulfield is that fitness can be achieved in less time than previously thought, he doesn’t recommend giving up your regular routine in favour of four-minute workouts. “It’s not all you need to do,” he said.
Indeed, four-minute workouts won’t get rid of that jiggle around your belly. And they won’t result in any appreciable boost in strength, flexibility or endurance.
What they will do is jump-start your fitness, even if you’re getting off the couch for the first time in years. Because the subjects were sedentary, middleaged, overweight men, the workout is accessible to almost everyone. As for how hard you have to work, the research team equated the intensity of their workouts to a quick, four-minute walk up a hill with an eight to 10 per cent grade or rapidly walking up six to 10 flights of stairs three times a week. Or, to use another measure, the intensity was such that exercisers couldn’t speak in full sentences, using only single words to communicate.
As for what else you have to do over-and-above fourminute workouts, the 150 minutes of weekly exercise currently recommended is still the gold standard. But even on that front, things are changing.
Originally those 150 minutes were to be spread out in 30-minute bouts over the course of the week, but that was changed a few years back due to a lack of proof that distributing the 150 minutes over seven days was any better than getting the whole thing over with in a few days. So while there are now no strict rules as to how many times a week you need to exercise, one has to wonder if cramming it all into one or two days is as effective as the old prescription.
In an attempt to answer the question, researchers from Queen’s University in Kingston, Ont., compared the physiological results of two groups of exercisers who faithfully worked out 150 minutes a week. One group got their 150 minutes over in five days, while the other did so over four or fewer days a week.
Turns out the physiological benefits accrued were the same, regardless of the number of days over which the workouts were spread.
So what does all this new information mean for the average exerciser?
Before you throw your hands up in confusion, these seemingly disparate messages are actually good news. Based on the findings of both studies, as well as several others with similar results, it looks like exercisers have more choice than previously thought when it comes to scheduling their workouts.
Go long, go short, go hard, go easy — the choice is yours. The bottom line is this: squeeze in four, 10, 30, 60 or 90 minutes of exercise a day as often as possible and you’ll reap the benefits.