If working out in 10-second bursts sounds appealing, we’ve got very good news. A study at the University of Milan found that taking breaks during your workout makes you burn more calories.
They had people climb stairs and walk on a treadmill. They either went for four minutes at a time, or did ultra-short bursts of 10 seconds at a time.
It turned out the 10-second bursts burned more calories, up to 60% more. (!!!) The catch is both workout sessions covered the same distance.
In other words, you’ll burn more calories if you walk a mile and take a bunch of breaks during it. But because of all the breaks, it’ll take a lot longer to cover that mile. So is it really worth wasting that much time?
The more practical thing to do is just let yourself take regular breaks when you’re working out, and don’t feel bad about it.
They found the reason it works is our body burns more calories when it’s gearing up for exercise. Once you get going, it settles in.
They compared it to how a car uses more gas to get up to speed. Once you’re already going 60, it’s more fuel efficient.
(The study was only about burning calories. It didn’t look at how short bursts might affect things like cardiovascular health. Getting your heart pumping for an extended period of time might be better in that regard.)
(Phys.org / The Royal Society)
