It is widely believed that the acquisition and maintenance of a good physical form requires a man to work hard for an hour a day, or even more.

A new study suggests the opposite - only 4 minutes of intense physical activity 3 times a week is enough to maintain health and physical fitness.

Of course, it all depends on your specific goals.

Regular exercise increases the maximum oxygen consumption (VO2max), which is a well-known measure of a person's physical fitness. Nevertheless, the question of how intense exercise should be intense in order to maximize the benefits is not fully understood.

Now researchers from the Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU) in Trondheim found that only 3 short high intensity workouts (AIT) per week lead to a significant improvement in physical fitness compared to inactive men.

Arndt University Center staff member Erik Tionne, lead researcher, says: "Our data suggest that AIT, performed 3 times a week, may be the most reasonable strategy for improving VO2max in men in terms of time and efficiency". Tionne notes that the main advantage of such a program is the ease of implementation, even for very busy men who spend days in the office.

Scientists evaluated VO2max and traditional cardiovascular risk factors in 24 inactive but healthy men with little excess weight. The observation lasted for 10 weeks.

One group of 13 people followed a standard protocol that included an intensive load of 4 approaches at 90% of the maximum heart rate, alternating with a 3-minute active rest at 70% of the maximum heart rate (protocol 4x4). The second group of 11 people followed the new protocol: one 4-minute approach at 90% of the maximum heart rate (protocol 1-AIT).

After training in the group working on the protocol 1-AIT, the maximum oxygen consumption increased by 10%, and in the group that worked several times longer (protocol 4x4), the growth of VO2max was only 13%.

In both groups there was a decrease in blood pressure, and in the group 1-AIT this indicator was better.

Tionne says that the results look promising, but the sample was too small, so more research is needed. He also noted that physically active people are unlikely to benefit from the 1-AIT program - this training plan is designed specifically for people with low levels of activity who want to improve their health.

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