Mixed
Prolonged moderate-intensity aerobic exercise (e.g., 150 min/week at 65% VO2max) significantly improves the lipid profile by increasing HDL cholesterol and reducing triglycerides, whereas high-intensity interval training may fail to produce these benefits if total volume is insufficient.
To improve your cholesterol, focus on doing moderate-intensity aerobic exercise (like brisk walking or cycling) for about 150 minutes per week. You don't need to sprint or do high-intensity intervals; consistency and total time matter more than intensity for this specific benefit. Spread these minutes across the week (e.g., 30 minutes, 5 days a week).
Those authors consequently suggested that the training volume, as opposed to the training intensity, is the key to improving the lipid profile, and that there may be a relationship between body fat (which decreased only in the prolonged exercise group) and cholesterol levels, whereby a volume sufficient to elicit changes in fat mass is required to favourably alter the lipid profile.
Why this rating
Based on a review of 13 original research articles and meta-analyses, with consistent findings across multiple RCTs.
Source
Differential Effects of Aerobic Exercise, Resistance Training and Combined Exercise Modalities on Cholesterol and the Lipid Profile: Review, Synthesis and Recommendations
Steven Mann et al. · Sports Medicine · 2013
This is one finding among thousands. Every one is graded and traced to its source, so you can see what the evidence actually supports. Browse the research →