By
a show of hands how many of you think that it’s necessary to perform 2-3 hours of cardio per day to get lean? Don’t be afraid. There is no incorrect answer. Well, not really but let’s pretend that there isn’t a single correct answer.
So, what do you think?
Is that your final answer?
If by chance you believe that it’s necessary to do cardio for 2-3 hours per day you’d be…incorrect.
A recent study released by Canadian researchers has determined that 2 hours and 25 minutes of interval training over a two week period produces physiological results that are similar to two weeks’ worth of high volume endurance training (i.e., distance running or the like).
As part of the study, the researchers utilized low-volume, high-intensity interval training (L.H.I.T.) versus the traditional “all out” H.I.T. because they believed that the traditional approach was too demanding and less practical for obese individuals and older adults—two groups which could benefit from interval training.
The data presented by the researchers was intriguing for several reasons. First, the volume of exercise was ~90% less with H.I.T. versus endurance training. Second, the time spent training was also ~75% lower. These two facts alone are reasons to jump for joy if you are hard-pressed to find enough hours in the day to manage work, family and exercise. This is also great news for competitors who are trying to lean down for the season.
The reality is that with LHIT you can achieve significant physiological changes in less time and effort.
LHIT versus HIT
The differences between LHIT and HIT are slight. With LHIT you reduce the intensity of the exercise and the rest periods between the intervals while increasing the working interval duration. For example, you jog at 70% effort for 60 seconds then walk for 75 seconds and repeat. With HIT you’d be required to run “all out” at 100% effort for 60 seconds then jog for 120 seconds and repeat.
Training
In the study, participants engaged in a total of 6 cardio sessions over a two week period—Monday, Wednesday and Friday—with each session lasting approximately 20 to 29 minutes. While the timing of the sessions was essentially the same, the study participants increased the number of intervals they performed every two sessions.
During the first two training sessions they completed 8 intervals, 10 intervals were completed during the third and fourth sessions and 12 intervals during the last two sessions.
“Given that lack of time is the number one perceived barrier to performing regular exercise, a low-volume HIT program similar to the one employed in this study may be a potent, practical, and time-efficient exercise strategy,” writes the study’s authors.
Source:
Jonathan P Little, Adeel S Safdar, Geoffrey P Wilkin, Mark a Tarnopolsky, and Martin J Gibala. A practical model of low-volume high-intensity interval training induces mitochondrial biogenesis in human skeletal muscle: potential mechanisms. The Journal of Physiology, 2010
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