Trainers and researchers have observed that short bouts of sprints are just as effective as continuous endurance exercises in producing fat loss. In other words, doing a few sprints can help you lose weight as easily as jogging. Sprints are usually accomplished by sprinting for 30-60 seconds with a few minutes of rest in between sets. In a normal 20 minute session of sprints, a person will only do about 2-3 minutes of actual sprinting. Not only is it less time overall than a 30 minute jogging session, but the actual training time is dramatically less.
Researchers in Canada recently asked why such short intervals could produce similar results to longer, continuous periods of exercise. In order to help answer their question they looked to oxygen consumption as a possible indicator.
In a controlled study, the researchers measured oxygen consumption during exercise and at 8 and 24 hours after exercise. While the oxygen consumed during sprints is less than in continuous exercises, it seems that oxygen consumption for sprinters catches up by 24 hours.
BOTTOM LINE: Although it seems that the body does less overall work in a session of sprints than in a continuous exercise session, sprints seem to increase metabolism so that the overall effect after 24 hours is essentially the same in both methods of exercise. If your goal is a better physique and better health, then try sprints to maximize your time.
Research for this article was published in the International Journal of Sport Nutrition and Exercise Metabolism. You can find the original article with the following citation:
Hazell, T. J., Olver, T. D., Hamilton, C. D., & Lemon, P. W. (2012). Two Minutes of Sprint-Interval Exercise Elicits 24-hr Oxygen Consumption Similar to That of 30 min of Continuous Endurance Exercise. International Journal of Sport Nutrition and Exercise Metabolism, 276-283.
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