Is a 7 minute Workout Too Long? Then How About 4?

Ever since There’s Something About Mary, people have been convinced that you needed at least 7 minutes to get a decent workout. In fact, the New York Times recently published a workout regimen that only required a chair, a wall and 7 minutes out of your day. But Norwegian scientists have just published a study that shaves off an impressive 180 seconds, showing that one four-minute, high-intensity workout may be all it takes to improve your body’s overall health. While that three extra minutes won’t do any harm, the study shows that you can almost cut that in half and still see a marked metabolic and cardiovascular improvement along with a ten percent increase in endurance capacity. And it can be as simple as bolting to the top flight of your apartment building once a week.

But lest you think you can wait around until working out is trimmed to under sixty seconds, scientists are pretty confident four minutes is about the ground floor to spike your heart rate up to a satisfactory level. And, while a four-minute activity may boost your overall health, don’t expect to be shedding pounds with this regimen. To really burn those calories, you’ll need more comprehensive high-intensity interval training with a professional instructor.

It’s also important to note that participants in the studies went through a warm-up phase prior to their high intensity timed workout – and then a cool down phase after their workout.