A mere four seconds of all-out exercise, repeated two or three dozen times, could be all you need to build strength and maintain physical power, according to a new study of the potency of super-quick workouts.
The magic number
Edward Coyle, a professor of kinesiology and health education at the University of Texas, US, and his colleagues studied fit, professional athletes who generated titanic speed and power while pedalling specialised stationary bicycles that feature a heavy flywheel and no resistance.
The athletes reached a maxi- mum level of aerobic effort and power output within two seconds. This effort could be maintained briefly, but repeatedly, with a few seconds of recovery time in between When Coyle and his colleagues tested this with regular, out-of-shape volunteers, they found that those who were asked to complete five repetitions of four-second intervals on these bikes every hour for eight hours, metabolised fat much better the next day than if they sat sedentarily.
With people who are already in good shape, researchers found that, after eight weeks, they had added 17 per cent to their muscular power.
But, Coyle cautioned, if you rip through multiple four-second intervals in the morning and then sit unmoving for the rest of the day, you may still wind up with metabolic problems related to being sedentary.
Credit : Hindustan Times
Picture Credit : Google
