Commonly health professionals indicate prolonged aerobic activities with the intention of getting a higher caloric expenditure and a possibility of achieving physical fitness more effectively, it would be really necessary or just another myth?

   Currently, many researchers are interested in finding out if really only prolonged activities achieve significant results on oxygen consumption, and body composition. Thus, a comparison of training that would last only 2-3 minutes of high intensity activity with continuous exercise 20 minutes or more at moderate speeds have been produced (BARNETT et al., 2004; BURGOMASTER et al., 2007; BURGOMASTER, HEIGENHAUSER, GIBALA, 2006; BURGOMASTER et al., 2008; BURGOMASTER et al., 2005; GIBALA ET AL., 2006; MACDOUGALL et al., 1998).

     Such studies had interesting results, showing no differences between the training methods with respect to oxidative capacity, possible conditioning indicator.

       With regard to the effects on body composition, only Burgomaster et al. (2008) commented any indicator, however, only for body mass, which stands out not had difference between lean body mass, body fat. In this study, there was no difference between the methods after 6 weeks of the experiment.

    The factor that can determine training effects on body composition is the EPOC (Excess post oxygen consumption excersise) or translating into Portuguese: excess consumption of post-exercise oxygen. Studies that did not bother to assess body composition possibly supported in question formerly applied that the EPOC increases with uptime. Thus, if it were really so, we would not doubt that exercise lasting longer would have a greater effect on fat loss.

      Given this gap in the literature Hazell et al. (2012), recruiting a group of young adults (mean age 23 years), made the comparison between the methods short and intense (heat and then 4 sets of 30 seconds on bike with overload of 10% of body weight with maximum intensity 4-minute interval between them) and continuous moderate aerobic (heating and then 30 minutes at 70% of VO2).

      To have the indicator of calorie burn used assessment oxygen consumption, where during prolonged exercise training had higher levels (OK, so far so as expected), immediately after, 8 hours and 24 hours later, the levels were similar between the two methods, and short showed a slight advantage, and the two had consumption significantly above baseline levels.

      Therefore, it can be suggested that intense workouts lasting less can be used as an alternative for those who have little time for training, aerobic training impatience with similar efficiency to moderate prolonged exercise.

Intense training with short can be a good alternative for faster training provided that the person is prepared for such a task!

Image reference: YTIMING