A little intense exercise can go a long way, study finds

Your boss says work smarter, not harder. But your personal trainer may disagree.

Just three minutes of all-out exercise can provide more health benefits than 1.5 hours of moderate exertion, according to a new study.

Sweating the small stuff

Researchers had 19 healthy young men either cycle with moderate effort for 90 minutes, or complete six 30-second, all-out sprints over the course of 23 minutes. They also collected the volunteers’ blood before, immediately after, and three hours after each workout.

• More than 700 proteins changed in abundance immediately after the sprint workout, compared with just seven following moderate cycling.
• Specifically, scientists saw a surge in protein changes associated with a lower risk of heart and metabolic disorders, including obesity and Type 2 diabetes.

These proteins can act like microscopic messengers traveling between organs and prompting responses throughout the body.

There are a few caveats: The study involved only healthy young men, and compared two very different workouts with nothing in between. Researchers also didn’t show that three minutes of intense exercise actually produces better long-term health outcomes than 90 minutes of moderate exercise.

Still, the findings suggest exercise intensity can have a major influence on how our bodies respond at the molecular level.