087. One-Minute Hacks - The 1-Minute Workout: Is 1-minute enough to increase cardiovascular health and lose weight?

ONE-MINUTE WORKOUT

Is it possible to get huge benefits from only a minute of exercise? Well the science suggest so…

In just 10 minutes, a single minute’s worth of hard exercise, it provides the benefits of 50 minutes of traditional endurance training.

In 2014 there was a study showing that three 20-second sprints per day, totaling a minute’s worth of hard exercise per day amid a total per-day time commitment of 10 minutes. Repeated three times in a 7-day period, the protocol amounted to 3 minutes of hard exercise per week. 

Sedentary, overweight, and obese men and women in their twenties and thirties followed this protocol for 6 weeks and the results were amazing.

Just 3 minutes of intense exercise per week reduced blood pressure by 6-8% and elevated cardiorespiratory fitness by 12%, translating into a reduced risk of dying and developing chronic diseases.

Another study tracking the 1-minute interval protocol over 12 weeks on sedentary, nonathletic individuals compared to another group that conducted 135 minutes a week of moderate aerobic exercise. The results were the same.

Out of shape individuals were able to get the same benefits as someone working out 3x a week for 45 mins in just 1 minute of hard exercise repeated 3x/week.

HOW TO DO IT

Warmup with light activity for 3 minutes 

Then sprint 20-seconds all out

Then rest 1-2 mins with light activity

Sprint again 20-seconds all out

Repeat cycle again until you’ve completed 3 sprints

End with a 2 minute cool-down, total duration is 10 minutes.