Less Exercise Can Produce More Results

Time is the one commodity that can never be regained. When it is gone, it is gone. So wouldn't it be great not to "waste" a lot of time exercising?

HIIT increases your metabolism after the exercise is over, which burns more calories.

HIIT also helps the body to increase human growth hormone (HGH) production, which is commonly referred to as the "youth hormone". HGH has been in the news in recent years due to the number of athletes that have illegally used it to gain an unfair advantage. The HGH that is produced as a result of HIIT is safe, totally natural and legal!

On top of all of that, HIIT slows down the shortening of the tails of DNA on your chromosomes, called telomeres. Our telomeres usually shorten after birth with each cell division. We start off with about 20,000 extra nucleotides on out telomeres. Nucleotides are the building blocks of DNA. During cell division, we can lose on the average about 50 to 200 nucleotides. When the telomeres get down to about 5,000 nucleotides, we die of old age. HIIT actually produces an RNA reverse transcriptase, which adds nucleotides to the telomeres. This process can essentially be life extending.

One of the major complaints that people have about exercise, is that they can't fit it into their busy schedules. Another complaint is that exercise takes too much of an effort. If one or both of these complaints seem familiar to you, read on for some good news.

Getting more accomplished in less time seems too good to be true, but this time it is true. There is one catch, which is that you have to really push yourself during the workout. The good news is that you don't have to push yourself for too long, only for 60 seconds 3 times a week. That shouldn't be too much to ask, even if you are relatively lazy.

Even if this seems counter-intuitive, years of research built a scientific consensus, as study after study indicates that exercising in shorter bursts with rest periods in between, produces far greater genetic and metabolic benefits than exercising continuously for an entire session.

Can You Get Fit With Only Three Minutes of Strenuous Exercise Per Week?

As crazy as this sounds, a recent experiment indicated that one minute of strenuous activity within a ten minute exercise session is as effective as working out for 45 minutes at a moderate pace.

Twenty-five out-of-shape men in their 30s were recruited for this trial. Their aerobic fitness and insulin sensitivity were measured at the outset of the study. Biopsies of their muscles were also taken, to assess muscular function at the cellular level. The men were then randomly divided into three groups:

1. The control group maintained their current exercise regimen, which was virtually nonexistent.

2. The second group engaged in a 45-minute long endurance workout, riding at a moderate pace on a stationary bike.

3. The third group was assigned to a HIIT program. After a two-minute warm-up on a stationary bike, they cycled all-out for 20 seconds followed by gentle pedaling for two minutes. These intervals were repeated three times, for a total workout of 10 minutes, but only one minute was actually spent in strenuous exertion.

The exercise groups completed three workout sessions per week for 12 weeks. As reported by The New York Times:

"By the end of the study ... the endurance group had ridden for 27 hours, while the interval group had ridden for six hours, with only 36 minutes of that time being strenuous.

But when the scientists retested the men's aerobic fitness, muscles and blood-sugar control now, they found that the exercisers showed virtually identical gains ...

In both groups, endurance had increased by nearly 20%, insulin resistance likewise had improved significantly, and there were significant increases in the number and function of certain microscopic structures in the men's muscles that are related to energy production and oxygen consumption."

Wow! Who would have thought that all you need to get in shape is 10 minutes, three times a week!

If you don't actively exercise, you should consult with your primary care physician prior to starting any High Intensity Interval Training program.

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