FACT:
energy in < energy out = weight loss
Right?
Yes… but (there’s always a “but” isn’t there)
Whilst it is true that controlling your calorie intake and increasing your energy expenditure (a fancy way of saying “MOVING”), will help you loose weight, it seems there may be a more efficient way of achieving your weight loss goal.
Professor Steve Boutcher from the University of New South Wales ran a study on the effect of interval or sprint training, as opposed to exercising at a steady pace. It’s all about training less, but more efficiently.
One of the biggest excuses people give for not exercising is lack of time. With this sprint-plan, you do less, eg 20 minutes vs 40, “and it seems, at least initially, there’s a lot more fat loss,” says the professor.
The study:
Professor Boutcher’s says his study is about: “trying to find out what’s the least amount of exercise you can do to reduce the greatest amount of fat,”
45 overweight women cycled three times a week over 15 weeks. As the aim of this study was to examine what effect exercise has on weight loss, none of the participants changed their eating habits.
They were split into two groups with the difference being how long and how hard their cycling was:
- group 1 did 40 minutes at a steady pace
- group 2 did 20 minutes, alternating sprints and slow pedalling
The result:
The 20-minute group lost on average three times the amount of the steady cyclists.
Group 2 also improved their aerobic fitness faster and reduced their insulin sensitivity (great news for diabetics).
So, why does interval training burn more fat?
“We think the reason that it works is because it produces a unique metabolic response,” said Professor Boutcher. “Intermittent sprinting produces high levels of chemical compounds called catecholamines, which allow more fat to be burned from under the skin and within the exercising muscles. The resulting increase in fat oxidation drives the greater weight loss.”
But it’s not as easy as just jumping on the bike and sprinting away. You have to time the intervals precisely. To do that, you’ll need to know the magic formula.
The secret is to sprint hard for eight seconds followed by a 12 second recovery or slow pedal.
You don’t have to get on a bike to get these results, the rower and cross trainer can also be effective and you can hit the treadmill, but make sure you run so you elevate your heart rate (walking doesn’t raise your heart rate fast enough)
So, are you ready to take the challenge?
Give it a go – build up to doing 20 minutes, 3 times a week and you’ll be in shape for summer before you know it.
The usual caution applies: if you haven’t exercised for a long time, or are very overweight or suffer from diabetes or heart disease, please check with your GP before starting this, or any exercise program.
Anja Lineen
www.goforfit.com.au
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