Short intense exercise as good as endurance training

For all you busy souls out there:

Short bursts of exercise can bring the same results as traditional endurance training, a new study has found.

Researchers from McMaster University monitored two groups of students, one cycling up to two hours a day continuously at a moderate rate and one riding a series of 30 second bursts at to speed.

Over two weeks one group exercised for a total of 10.5 hours and the other just 2.5 hours, but both groups showed similar improvements in exercise performance.

Martin Gibala, an associate professor of kinesiology at McMaster University, said: "The most striking finding from our study was the remarkably similar improvements in muscle health and performance induced by two such diverse training strategies."

He added: "Short bursts of intense exercise may be an effective option for individuals who cite 'lack of time' as a major impediment to fitness."

However, the study published in the Journal of Physiology warns this type of training is very demanding and requires a high level of motivation.