Sprint to lose fat fast and get lean for summer! A new study shows sprint intervals will help you lose more fat, spending a fraction of the time doing it as "traditional" cardio exercises!
It’s well known in the strength and conditioning world that high-intensity interval training or HIIT is more effective for body composition and fat loss than low intesity steady state cardio or LISS aerobic exercise, but the rest of the population may still be stuck slogging through miles with the hope of losing fat. It won’t work nearly as well as short sprints. The second you step off the treadmill when performing a LISS exercise calorie burning stops, where witha HIIT based exercise your metabolism is ramped up for hours afterwards!
The study, published in the journal of Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise compared the effect of a sprint interval program that included 30-second sprints with an endurance running program at 65 percent of maximal for 30 to 60 minutes over 6 weeks. Participants in the sprint interval group increased their volume from running 4 sprints with 4 minutes rest per session to doing 6 sprints per session by the end of the study. The endurance running group increased run time by 15 minutes every 2 weeks to reach 1 hour of training time per session.
The sprint interval group lost an impressive 12.4 percent body fat and an average of 2 to 3 kg of fat mass after 6 weeks. They spent a total of.75 of an hour actually sprinting compared to the endurance group that spent 13.5 hours running. That’s right—the sprint interval group spent 1/18th or 5.5 percent as much time training as the endurance training group! The total time required to complete the workouts including rest intervals was 6.75 in the sprint interval group compared to the 13.5 hours for the endurance group.
The endurance training group also lost about half a kilo of fat, which was likely due to the caloric deficit that came from greater energy expenditure while running. The sprint intervals were likely so much more effective because they increased post exercise oxygen consumption, effectively elevating metabolic rate and caloric use after the sprint workouts. Sprints also burn a lot of calories fast, and they enhance the of enzymes and proteins that are involved in using fat for fuel.
Researchers say running may be better than cycling for fat loss, but I suggest caution about having novice trainees get on a treadmill at top speed. We can discuss methods to take advatage of this research for trainees that are interested.
Take away from this study the understanding that unless you are passionate about spending multiple hours a week doing endurance exercise, high-intensity intervals are a faster more efficient choice for optimal body composition!
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