Mixed
Low-volume sprint interval training (SIT) produces similar improvements in skeletal muscle oxidative capacity, buffering capacity, and exercise performance as high-volume endurance training (ET) despite a ~90% lower total training volume.
If you are short on time, you can achieve similar fitness and muscle adaptations to long endurance sessions by doing short, all-out sprints. Specifically, perform 4-6 repeats of 30-second maximal cycling efforts with 4-minute rest periods, three times a week for two weeks. This takes about 2.5 hours total over two weeks, compared to 10.5 hours for traditional endurance training, yet yields similar improvements in your body's ability to use oxygen and sustain effort.
Given the large difference in training volume, these data demonstrate that SIT is a time-efficient strategy to induce rapid adaptations in skeletal muscle and exercise performance that are comparable to ET in young active men.
Why this rating
Randomized controlled trial with direct comparison, matched protocols, and objective biochemical and performance measures.
Source
Short‐term sprint interval <i>versus</i> traditional endurance training: similar initial adaptations in human skeletal muscle and exercise performance
Martin J. Gibala et al. · The Journal of Physiology · 2006
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