In the seven minutes it takes to make Kraft Dinner or take a shower, you can reap the benefits of a 30-minute run. At least, that’s what one new workout trend is promoting.
The Scientific 7-minute Workout – a fitness regimen boasting 12 exercises done in rapid succession – combines bodyweight strength training with high-intensity interval training (HIIT).
The workout has been making the rounds across cyberspace, into the training routines of athletes on a time crunch, and into the homes of fitness enthusiasts looking for a quick workout fix.
The program outlines 12 exercises ranging from jumping jacks to abdominal crunches to side plank, done for 30 seconds each with a 10-second rest between exercises.
The workout was developed based on studies that have suggested HIIT can improve strength, endurance and muscle tone while you push your body to its limits. HIIT training has been shown to produce molecular changes in muscles that are comparable to the results of several hours of running or cycling.
“It’s probably the best aerobic training you can do for fat loss, as opposed to doing a steady state aerobic training workout,” explained Chelsea Von Grat, personal training and fitness assessment co-ordinator at Sturgeon Valley Athletic Club.
“It speeds up your metabolism and you burn more calories after you leave the gym as well.”
Critics warn, however, that though the circuit has its benefits, it might not be the right workout for some.
“Interval training is good for everyone but if someone doesn’t have a good base of aerobic endurance training, it’s not something I would have them do right off the bat,” added Von Grat.
There is no single formula for interval training, which can also be done on the treadmill or as sprints on a bike. The program traditionally includes bouts of high-intensity exercise interspersed with rest periods.
“It all comes to down to metabolic changes. Short bursts versus long slow distance work, which is still beneficial,” said Gina Geres, fitness instructor at Mobile Fitness in St. Albert.
Geres teaches Tabata, a training regimen that uses the concept of HIIT and full bodyweight exercises and combines them into a 32-minute workout. She said Tabata is one of the latest trends in metabolic training, in which participants do eight rounds of eight different exercises, 20 seconds on and 10 seconds rest.
“The methodology behind Tabata is to get heart rate up to maximum in 20 seconds,” said Geres.
The founders of the seven-minute workout, coaches at the Human Performance Institute in Orlando, recognize that their program’s concept of high-intensity interval and circuit training is not new, but they say it addresses the limitations of traditional exercise programs that treat aerobic and resistance training separately.
The paper published in the May/June edition of the American College of Sports Medicine’s Health & Fitness Journal, states the program is “growing in popularity because of its efficiency and practicality for a time-constrained society.”
The article recommends participants repeat the seven-minute workout two to three times, depending on the amount of time they have.
