Is Maximal Exercise for 75 seconds the most efficient way of burning fat?

[Guest guest]

McFarlane (Biomch-L) recently wrote the below:

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov:80/pubmed/11547894

wrote:

Recently I came across an interesting research paper that suggests

that

maximal exercise for 75 seconds is the most efficient away of burning

off fat. The paper concluded that; " The duration of maximal exercise

at

which equal contributions are derived from the anaerobic and aerobic

energy systems appears to occur ... most probably around 75 seconds "

(Gastin P, 2001). It sounds almost too good to be true; did nobody

understand the implications? You'd think it would have been front-page

news.

Professional athletes bulk themselves up on carbohydrates and though

they are motivated by sporting ambition, weight is not usually a

crucial

issue as they have ample time to burn off their excess calories with

work-outs. The average person is mainly motivated by the desire to

shed

excess fat.

Public Health bodies such as Heart Foundations recommend that people

do

at least half an hour (or 20 minutes at the very least) of maximal (or

near maximal) physical activity on most (and preferably every) day of

the week for health benefits. As far as I can tell from sports

training

literature typical athletes in training ( " jocks " ) aspire to at least

30

minutes of near maximal anaerobic training (at 60 - 80% of maximal

Heart

Rate or more) to " burn off the fat " . However, most ordinary people in

the workforce tell me that they cannot devote this amount time to

exercise due to their long working hours and their endless

time-consuming commuting (thanks to the parlous state of our congested

roads and public transport). People who are not working tell me that

they find such as regimen too tiring and many find such a regimen so

daunting that they just give up before they even start.

This research data suggests that breaks for exercise (and short stints

of vigorous exercise) could make a real difference to combating

obesity

and maintaining the fitness of the workforce as even 2 or 3 minute

work-outs should be helpful. Five-minute breaks are not unfeasible in

many workplaces and there is an interest in warm-ups in some

workplaces

where the work is physically arduous.

Can anyone make any recommendations regarding the frequency and

content

of short keep-fit work-breaks?

Regards,

McFarlane MAppSc (Ergonomics)

=======================

Aukje de Vrijer made a quick reply and suggested that; " at a lower

intensity you will burn just as much fat, using less anaerobic

energy, which makes it much more comfortable. "

Dr Jon Oliver (Cardiff School of Sport) commented that; " at high-

intensity the aerobic contribution will be predominantly (if not

almost exclusively) from the metabolism of carbohydrate for fuel, and

not fat. The fat burning would start to come more into play during

recovery " . He felt that while " High-intensity activity can be useful

for fat burning " it " would need to be intermittent with exercise

bouts repeated a number of times " and " to get the fat loss benefits

the high-intensity work would need to be performed intermittently,

increasing the total overall time required (defeating your primary

goal of reducing time commitment). "

Thad Buster commented that; " Another factor to consider in this

discussion, is the oxygen recovery following both types of exercise.

VO2 stays elevated significantly longer after high intensity

exercise. This would suggest an elevated additional caloric

expenditure following high intensity exercise as compared to lower

intensity exercise. " He quoted Dr. Kris Berg at the University of

Nebraska Omaha who has been asking his students for years " Why don't

you see fat sprinters in track and field? "

Trevor Savage suggested that; " To utilise the fat stores of the body,

exercise needs to be more than 75 seconds long and at an intensity of

less than 70% of maximal exertion. " However, he agreed that bursts of

energy do have health benefits.

Randy Dixon recommended the Tabata Protocols for anyone looking for

more information. Sharon Dixon suggested a literature search for the

published work of Dr O'Donovan (University of Exeter UK) in this

area would be useful.

Raoul Reiser pointed out that the subjects assigned to the endurance

training group in Gibala's research spent considerably more time " (~

4-fold) " exercising than those subjects assigned to sprint training.

He also mentioned some exciting advances by researchers from Colorado

State University will soon be presenting preliminary data that

suggest short-term sprint-interval training improves the insulin

sensitivity of previously sedentary adults.

Kat Arbour (PhD Student, University of Delaware) kindly referred me

to the work of Mark J on " Sprint Interval Training " . Mark sent

me a couple of papers complete with dozens of references. Several of

the other correspondents also sent me references. Inspired by his

work in this field and all of the references I have attempted to make

a synopsis of the history of this field of research. Here it is.

Research has shown that the ideal duration for vigorous exercise is

about 60 seconds. During a series of short high-intensity exercise

tests " VO2max was reached after approximately 60 s. It is concluded

that the 30 and 90 s [tests] are not strictly anaerobic although they

all have a large anaerobic component " (Serresse et al, 1988).

It is vigorous exercise that increases anaerobic fitness not

endurance traing. Research has shown that " sprinters' anaerobic

capacity was 30% larger " [than that of " endurance-trained subjects " ]

(Medbo, 1990). High intensity exercise is needed for burning fat

off. " Plasma glucose tissue uptake and muscle glycogen oxidation

increased in relation to exercise intensity. ... Muscle triglyceride

lipolysis was stimulated only at higher intensities " (Romijn et al,

1993).

Research has shown that " high intensity exercise, either intermittent

or continuous, increases recovery VO2 (L) more than prolonged low

intensity exercise " (Brockman et al, 1993). High Intensity Interval

Training programs also help you lose fat. A research HIIT program

induced a more pronounced reduction in subcutaneous adiposity

compared with an Endurance Training (ET) program despite its lower

energy cost; the decrease in the " subcutaneous skinfolds induced by

the HIIT program was ninefold greater than by the ET program " and

HIIT exercise programs " appear to favor the process of lipid

oxidation " (Tremblay et al, 1994).

Japanese sports scientists designed protocols (exercise regimes such

as the Tabata protocols) for training athletes using intermittent

exercise bouts defined by the IE1 protocol. Their subsequent research

showed that; " high-intensity intermittent training may improve both

anaerobic and aerobic energy supplying systems significantly " (Tabata

et al, 1996) and that " intermittent exercise ... may tax both the

anaerobic and aerobic energy releasing systems almost maximally "

(Tabata et al, 1997). The problem was that supra-maximal exercise was

needed to achieve this. This protocol requires 6 to 7 bouts of 20-s

exercise at an intensity of approximately 170% of the subject's

maximal oxygen uptake with a 10 second rest between each bout).

This type of arduous exercise did not feature in public health

promotion programs for obvious reasons. Highly demanding exercise

regimes of this type are beyond most people who are unfit

(especially if they are over 40 and older than professional

athletes). Experts argued that for the general public low intensity,

long-duration exercise was preferable because it " results in a

greater total fat oxidation than does moderate intensity exercise "

( et al, 1998).

High intensity treadmill training has shown that in the heart lactate

uptake is " increased much more after high-intensity training than

after moderate-intensity training "

(Baker et al, 1998) but " high intensity, intermittent interval

exercise training is more effective for stimulation of fatty acid

oxidation than continuous sub-maximal exercise " (Chilibeck et al,

1998)

The use of split sessions of exercises rather than continuous

exercising increases effectiveness of exercise by maximising excess

post-exercise oxygen consumption (EPOC); research has shown that the

combined magnitude of EPOCs from split sessions " was significantly

greater than that from CONT [continuous exercising] " (Almuzaini et

al, 1998).

However, the total amount of exercise is also important. In

the " Harvard Alumni Health Study " vigorous activities and large total

amounts of exercise " showed the strongest reductions in CHD risk "

(Sesso et al, 2000).

Despite this there is growing evidence that short burst of intense

activity might also be useful.

At the onset of exercise " oxygen uptake of the exercising muscles

increases after a delay of only a few seconds, and oxygen extraction

peaks after approximately 50 s of exercise " (Bangsbo et al, 2000) and

(as I mentioned in my initial BIOMCH message) " The duration of

maximal exercise at which equal contributions are derived from the

anaerobic and aerobic energy systems appears to occur between 1 to 2

minutes and most probably around 75 seconds, a time that is

considerably earlier than has traditionally been suggested " (Gastin,

2001).

Suddenly high intensity exercise appears to be competing with low

intensity exercise in the health promotion stakes; " high-intensity

exercise favors a lesser body fat deposition " (Yoshioka et al, 2001)

and for patients with coronary artery disease " High intensity aerobic

interval exercise is superior to moderate exercise for increasing

VO2peak " (Rognmo et al, 2004). In addition, research also showed

that Sprint Interval Training has beneficial effects on " aerobic "

exercise capacity; " short sprint interval training (approximately 15

min of intense exercise over 2 wk) increased muscle oxidative

potential and doubled endurance capacity " (Burgomaster et al, 2005).

Moreover, sprint-interval training (SIT) " is a time-efficient

strategy to induce rapid adaptations in skeletal muscle and exercise

performance " (Gibala et al, 2006) and the HUNT study in Norway found

that " A single weekly bout of exercise of high intensity reduced the

risk of cardiovascular death ... There was no additional benefit from

increasing the duration or the number of exercise sessions per week "

(Wisloff et al, 2006). The abstract noted that; " these results

challenge the current recommendation that expenditure of at least

1000 kcal per week is required to achieve exercise-induced protection

against premature cardiovascular mortality. " Mark J has

commented that decreasing the intervals to a minute, and in turn

increasing the intensity to a supra-maximal level, would yield an

even greater overall benefit than that found by these researchers.

Research on weekend exercises seems to back this theory up.

Activities that involve short bursts of intense activity appear to be

more beneficial for the health of office workers than more leisurely

pastimes like golf and gardening. In a study that compared " weekend

warriors " with other sedentary workers found that " weekend warriors "

had the best " health profile " but they were " the heaviest; they also

were least likely to take vitamin/mineral supplements, most likely to

eat red meat, and least likely to eat vegetables " (Lee et al, 2004).

The most common activities undertaken by weekend warriors were tennis

(38 percent), golf (13 percent) and the rest did more tranquil

activities like gardening. All in all, while leisurely activities are

better than nothing (and are no doubt good for the soul i.e. good for

relaxing and contemplation) nothing seems to beat getting up a good

old fashioned sweat on a regular basis.

In view of all this evidence two eminent scientists in the UK

(O'Donovan and Shave, 2007) recently recommended that; " Policymakers

have an obligation to equip the public to make fully informed

decisions about physical activity and health. British physical

activity guidelines should be amended because most men and women

erroneously believe that moderate activity offers greater health

benefits than vigorous activity. "

References

1. Serresse O, Lortie G, Bouchard C, Boulay M, (1988), " Estimation of

the contribution of the various energy systems during maximal work of

short duration " , Int J Sports Med, 1988 Dec, 9, (6), pp 456-60.

2. Medbø JI, Burgers S, (1990), " Effect of training on the anaerobic

capacity " , Med Sci Sports Exerc, 1990 Aug, 22, (4), pp 501-7.

3. Romijn JA, Coyle EF, Sidossis LS, Gastaldelli A, Horowitz JF,

Endert E, Wolfe R, (1993), " Regulation of endogenous fat and

carbohydrate metabolism in relation to exercise intensity and

duration " , Am J Physiol, 1993 Sep, 265, (3 Pt 1), pp E380-91.

hyperlink at; http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/8214047

4. Brockman L, Berg K, Latin R, (1993), " Oxygen uptake during

recovery from intense intermittent running and prolonged walking " , J

Sports Med Phys Fitness, 1993 Dec, 33, (4), pp 330-6.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/8035581

5. Tremblay A, Simoneau JA, Bouchard C, (1994), " Impact of exercise

intensity on body fatness and skeletal muscle metabolism " ,

Metabolism, 1994 Jul, 43, (7), pp 814-8.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/8028502

6. Tabata I, Nishimura K, Kouzaki M, Hirai Y, Ogita F, Miyachi M,

Yamamoto K, (1996), " Effects of moderate-intensity endurance and high-

intensity intermittent training on anaerobic capacity and VO2max " ,

Med Sci Sports Exerc, 1996 Oct, 28, (10), pp 1327-30.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/8897392

7. Tabata I, Irisawa K, Kouzaki M, Nishimura K, Ogita F, Miyachi M,

(1997), " Metabolic profile of high intensity intermittent exercises " ,

Med Sci Sports Exerc, 1997 Mar, 29, (3), pp 390-5. Hyperlink:

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/9139179

8. DL, Townsend KM, Boughey R, K, Bassett DR Jr,

(1998), " Substrate use during and following moderate- and low-

intensity exercise: implications for weight control "

Eur J Appl Physiol Occup Physiol, 1998 Jun, 78, (1), pp 43-9.

9. Baker SK, McCullagh KJ, Bonen A, (1998), " Training intensity-

dependent and tissue-specific increases in lactate uptake and MCT-1

in heart and muscle " , J Appl Physiol, 1998 Mar, 84, (3), pp 987-94.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/9480961

<http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/9480961?

ordinalpos=2 & itool=EntrezSystem2.PEntrez.Pubmed.Pubmed_ResultsPanel.Pu

bmed_DefaultReportPanel.Pubmed_RVDocSum >

10. Chilibeck PD, Bell GJ, Farrar RP, T, (1998), " Higher

mitochondrial fatty acid oxidation following intermittent versus

continuous endurance exercise training " , Can J Physiol Pharmacol,

1998 Sep, 76, (9), pp 891-4.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/10066139

11. Almuzaini KS, Potteiger JA, Green S, (1998), " Effects of split

exercise sessions on excess postexercise oxygen consumption and

resting metabolic rate " , Can J Appl Physiol, 1998 Oct, 23, (5), pp

433-43. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/9738129

12. Sesso HD, Paffenbarger RS Jr, Lee I, (2000), " Physical activity

and coronary heart disease in men: The Harvard Alumni Health Study " ,

Circulation, 2000 Aug 29, 102, (9), pp 975-80.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/10961960

13. Bangsbo J, Krustrup P, González-Alonso J, Boushel R, Saltin B,

(2000), " Muscle oxygen kinetics at onset of intense dynamic exercise

in humans " , Am J Physiol Regul Integr Comp Physiol, 2000 Sep, 279,

(3), pp R899-906. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/10956247

14. Gastin P, (2001), " Energy system interaction and relative

contribution during maximal exercise " , Sports Med, 31(10), 725-41.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11547894

15. Yoshioka M, Doucet E, St-Pierre S, Alméras N, D, Labrie

A, Després JP, Bouchard C, Tremblay A, (2001), " Impact of high-

intensity exercise on energy expenditure, lipid oxidation and body

fatness " , Int J Obes Relat Metab Disord, 2001 Mar, 25, (3), pp 332-9.

Hyperlink http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11319629

16. Rognmo Ø, Hetland E, Helgerud J, Hoff J, Slørdahl S,

(2004), " High intensity aerobic interval exercise is superior to

moderate intensity exercise for increasing aerobic capacity in

patients with coronary artery disease " , Eur J Cardiovasc Prev

Rehabil, 2004 Jun, 11, (3), pp 216-22.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15179103

17. Burgomaster KA, SC, Heigenhauser GJ, Bradwell SN, Gibala

M, (2005), " Six sessions of sprint interval training increases muscle

oxidative potential and cycle endurance capacity in humans " , J Appl

Physiol, 2005 Jun, 98, (6), pp 1985-90.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15705728

18. Gibala M, Little J, van Essen M, Wilkin G, Burgomaster K, Safdar

A, Raha S, Tarnopolsky M, (2006), " Short-term sprint interval versus

traditional endurance training: similar initial adaptations in human

skeletal muscle and exercise performance " , J Physiol, 2006 Sep 15,

575, (Pt 3), pp 901-11. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16825308

19. Wisløff U, Nilsen TI, Drøyvold WB, Mørkved S, Slørdahl SA, Vatten

L, (2006), " A single weekly bout of exercise may reduce

cardiovascular mortality: how little pain for cardiac gain? 'The HUNT

study, Norway' " , Eur J Cardiovasc Prev Rehabil, 2006 Oct, 13, (5), pp

798-804. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17001221

For Mark 's comments see " Sprint Interval Training - 'It's a

HIIT' " by Mark J (March 2008). Hyperlink:

http://www.xiser.com/downloads.php

20. Lee IM, Sesso HD, Oguma Y, Paffenbarger R, (2004), " The " weekend

warrior " and risk of mortality " , Am J Epidemiol, 2004 Oct 1, 160,

(7), 636-41.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15383407

21. O'Donovan G, Shave R, (2007), " British adults' views on the

health benefits of moderate and vigorous activity " , Prev Med, 2007

Dec, 45, (6), pp 432-5.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17804045

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Carruthers

Wakefield, UK