Intervals are just as good for the heart

Chris recently shared a few benefits of interval training, and now a new study says brief bursts of exercise are just as effective for heart health as dedicated endurance training. Considering interval workouts are shorter, you get the same bang for less time when it comes to the ticker.

Researchers had 20 healthy young men and women either ride stationary bikes 4-5 days a week for 40-60 minutes at a moderate-intensity or perform four to six sets of 30-second cycling sprints followed by 4.5 minutes of recovery time between sprints. The sprint group exercised for significantly less time, only 15-25 minutes per shot, three days a week. At the end of a six-week trial, sprint interval training improved arterial health just as much as endurance training.

You do not need to exercise like a hamster-on-a-wheel to improve heart health. If you're strapped for time, sprinkle in a few interval workouts. These powerful, short cardiovascular bursts are good for your heart. Personally, I wouldn't suddenly start interval training if I was out of shape. To reduce risk of injury, I'd slowly get back into shape first, then add intervals when my muscles and ligaments were ready for higher-stress training.