For the nay-sayers who equate H.I.I.T. with bad knees and a "why torture yourself?" stance, my answer is "Who says it's torture? If you're fit, do H.I.I.T. " I have been running 5 days/week for 40 years. In the last 5 years I have substituted 2-3 H.I.I.T. runs for 2-4 30-50 minute runs. Both are are fine workouts.
2
My problem with “pumping it up” is I’m afraid my heart will beat too fast and I’ll pass out. This happened once in the YMCA when I was working with a trainer at near maximum intensity, and I’ve monitored my HR ever since.
1
I am a big fan of high-intensity interval training. My workouts are short enough that I cant talk myself out of it, and intense enough that i KNOW they are making a difference!
My workouts are intense yet short enough that I can always fit them in the day!
2
At 59 y.o., I am a near daily exerciser for over 40 years. I've enjoyed a variety of activities and approaches. Over the past couple years, HIIT has been a staple. Recently, I was made aware of the "Nitric Oxide Dump" workout, originated by Dr. Zach Bush and endorsed by Dr. Mercola as well. (A Google search of any combination of the workout name and either doc will get you the details). It is simple, convenient and, being a HIIT fan, fun. :-) I really believe it "checks many boxes" and think many hear should know about and consider it. Respect to Dr. Bush for originating and popularizing it.
1
My husband and I (ages 88 and 83) have been working out with trainers for more than 7 years, 3 times a week for 40 minutes followed by the treadmill (Don) and the rowing machine for me for about 20 minutes. He has been losing weight, even though he has a sweet tooth worse than mine, and I weigh more than he. We eat fresh fruit and veggies, fish and poultry and occasional beef and eat far less than when we were younger. I have high blood pressure and too much fat. However, we are both pretty healthy given our ages. Maybe being female is part of my problem?
4
@Ann Eberle
You're both in great shape- congratulations! I wouldn't worry too much. They say it is actually good to be a little overweight when you're older but if it bothers you, try upping your aerobic exercise. Instead of the rower, spend those 20 mins walking briskly on the treadmill. You can even add in some elevation. If you can work up a sweat, then you're very likely burning fat.
1
I used to jog for 20 years - lost 75 pounds in college and did the whole low fat thing for years and was a vegaterian to stay further away from fat
Was skinny fat for many years
Just 3 years ago I transitioned to a keto / more Atkins driven diet
Plus do interval workouts of no more than 30-40 min
This was based on the reasearch that has been suppressed for years given the carb lobby of the US
Now super easy to maintain weight -
Food is satisfying and filling - vs carb driven diet
Lowest fat percentage in my life - sculpted abs, etc.
And I don’t have to be a slave to hours of jogging or running
Sorry but Jane Brody led me astray in the 80’s and jogging is a waste of time
This article makes sense
3
Many vegetarians end up eating more fat than omnivores without realizing it by consuming larger amounts of eggs and dairy. This is often out of fear related to misguided understanding of protein needs. Concern about the long-term effects of keto on arteries and colon health also exists. There's also never been a long-lived population that has eaten a keto-style diet. Just some factors to consider when prioritizing rapid weight loss over long-term health.
5
Im a 61 year old, 5’7” and 147 lbs female. Have never worked out a lot but have always been an active person. Only in the last few years have I started walking because I gained about 15 lbs in the past 10 years (since my husband retired and we moved to Florida). The walking did not do much to my weight so I stopped eating so much starch and sugar. Then about 3 months ago I decided to start a workout routine two or three times a week with a trainer and adding 1 hr on the stationary bike most every day. I have not lost one lb. but my body has changed noticeably as has my mood. I was on the verge of going to a psychologist because of slight depression. My co-pay on my Insurance would have been about the same as the trainer and the results are so much better! I eat mostly any meat with salad and fruit, but still eat bread and sweet stuff in small amounts. So, the article is right in that you should do what you like and that probably the only way to actually lose weight is changing your eating habits. I’m very happy with my results: even my husband, who was not too convinced about hiring the trainer, has noticed the change in my body and encourages me to continue.
9
I just returned from cross country skiing with my sister and a daughter for five days. For about 3-4 hrs everyday the two 70 something sisters huffed up trails at 9000 ft, glided along gentle slopes and zipped down hills in some combo of HIIT, endurance and almost effortless joy. We also ate heartily of very healthy home-cooked food and drank a couple glasses of red wine each day. The 40 yr old did an extra few km of blacks as she is very fit from riding her bike to work 20 mi round trip most days. Weight loss=zero. Joy=immeasurable.
I have a routine of weight lifting 30 min 2 days a week and some sort of aerobics indoors or out another 3-4 days for 30-45 min.
Weight loss? Cut out snacks, sweets and that red wine.
4
I've been doing water aerobics including interval training at least four hours per week for 18 months. I made no effort to lose weight while doing so, but do make an effort to eat protein at every meal. The result? All my life, my upper half was a smaller size than below my waist. Now, my pants are a smaller size than my shirts and my thighs are visually thinner so I think I did convert fat to muscle. I love the way that interval training makes me feel. I found too that interval training requires concentration -- if I am daydreaming I can't go as fast. I am a "senior" -- before I started water aerobics I don't think I ever got my heart really going fast because I was never a runner and I was a fearful bike rider.
4
Concision? "Most H.I.I.T. workouts require less than half an hour, from beginning to end (including a warm-up and cool-down), and the strenuous portions of the workout are even briefer.
But despite this concision, studies show that interval workouts can improve aerobic fitness, blood sugar control, blood pressure and other measures of health and fitness to the same or a greater extent than standard endurance training, such as brisk walking or jogging, even if it lasts two or three times as long."
And if the word is supposed to be conclusion it still doesn't make sense since the studies support the conclusion.
2
@jgury
Please explain the word "concision".
@margaret A
Even if you do not own a dictionary, you can access a digital one online.
@margaret A
I think it was a typo...should have been conclusion.
What about the crucial variable of diet? It seems an obvious omission here about why some people lost more fat than others! Exercise alone won't do the trick, and diet is key to the process. It's odd that this NYT journalist doesn't even mention it.
@M and what about sugar?
The question I have is: What about old folks like myself who have bad knees and hips which do not, I repeat, do not, like vigorous exercise? I can do it with upper body workouts, but not with cardio. Will I get the same benefit?
9
@jeremyp try swimming. Good low impact, cardio exercise.
I've worked out for years and I look forward to the rush I get with a good workout. The fact that it also keeps the fat off is also a plus!
3
The title should have asked the question, "Does Exercise Help Reduce Body Fat". As reported from pooling previous studies, the answer is a definite NO. Exercise will benefit your heart and the systems of your body. But if you want to loose or reduce body fat you have to change your diet. Do some research on your ancestors and what they ate. Early Americans from Europe ate meat and it was very abundant. Farmers raised grains to feed the farm animals. They rarely ate the grains they raised. When you eat a diet composed of meat and fat your liver produces ketones for energy. Ketones in your blood do not cause the release of insulin and it is insulin that causes fat storage. Stop eating 'factory food' and begin making you own meals from real food. Make your own mayonnaise from olive or coconut oil, not the industrial vegetable oils that most people have been consuming for 50 years. Do some reading about ketones. If you are trying to lose belly fat change you diet. Exercise will tone all of your muscles but it is not a way to lose significant body fat. Adkins got it right and research has proved him correct.
5
I read this article hoping to learn the successful routines that the research discovered. Not there, not linked. Any ideas, folks?
I know this will come across as snarky and apologize in advance, but the best way to burn fat is to just do it - whatever you enjoy and works for you - and stop talking about it. I doubt there is one magic formula that works for everyone, but if you hate what you do or are bored by it you won’t persist.
5
Is anyone else exasperated with headlines like this? Once again a headline that alludes to a different outcome than the research actually concluded. It's an unfair stunt played on readers who don't read to the end, or who don't read the article at all. It perpetuates mis-information and it's got to stop.
5
tried it all, here's what works: don't eat like S. the exercise is more for the sake of sculpting your body. Thee end.
First HIIT then LISS in a calorie deficit for best fat burning results. I do 20m of heavy bag kickboxing followed by 1h of a brisk walk. I find both activities very enjoyable.
1
abs are made in the kitchen. people who try to burn off the food they eat don't stand a chance in the long run.
3
Only time I ever lost a good deal of weight is when I rode my bicycle up the mountains. Running 3 miles 3 times a week wouldn't do much for me, even if it was intense. 4 hours a week cycling, up the hills, you will shrink.
2
250 a week in the flats of FL, and I have shrunk. From 125 in September 2015, to my current 113. I am a 5 foot 2, soon to be 57 year old female. I eat a varied diet, plenty of leafy greens and minimally processed foods. I still have my favorite treats because my mileage is pretty high.
What about energetic sex? Does that burn as much fat as other intense exercise? This is a serious question. Have there been any studies on it?
3
What you can sustain for "a few minutes" is NOT "just below all-out effort".
For true sprinting (a few seconds of all-out effort), we use energy that our cells already have in the final, ready-to-use form: ATP and phospho-creatine. For merely high-intensity exercise, what we can sustain for two to four minutes, our muscles use anaerobic glycolysis, using up glycogen already stored in the muscle and producing lactic acid. There's a big difference in the rate at which these two systems can provide energy.
3
Can someone describe several HIIT workouts. I guess sprinting is one but what are some others?
6
@Larry Dell You could jump rope for 3 minutes and take one minute breaks in between. Or sprint for 60 seconds and jog for 60 for 20 minutes. The revolving stairs are good for hit (but kind of horrible too). I've seen people do basically any cardio that is converted from steady-state to HIIT. I have also seen people say they are doing HIIT but clearly aren't working hard enough. If you can maintain the pace for more than 2-3 minutes, it isn't HIIT.
2
@Larry Dell
I've found that resistance is the key, when using an exercise machine. The elliptical machines I've tried won't provide enough resistance at high speed for a true sprint. They lose resistance if you go faster than the rate at which they can dissipate energy. But the arc trainers can. They were previously from Cybex, but the new ones the gym just got have the Life Fitness logo instead. To be able to move at sprint speed, I turn the resistance down just a bit from what I like to use in my normal workout.
Rowing machines seem to be able to dissipate enough energy too.
1
I just finished a month of special HIIT classes with a PT at the gym. It's usually for people who need help with their exercises or need more motivation. This time of year, I always get SAD so I was glad to have a little social back and forth. The classes really helped me in this way but I didn't lose weight nor fat. The instructor checked these things at the start of the month and again, at the end, and I gained 2 lbs and 1/2% of fat. Don't know what to make of this as the classes were hard. I always worked up a good sweat and felt some fatigue the next day. Near as I can tell, I probably would've gain this weight anyway- or more- without the classes.
2
As a competitive runner, I find speed training the most effective way to burn fat. Six to eight 400m, 800m and 1600m flat out on the tread mill twice a week is enough
1
I walk 3-4 miles at a moderate pace most of the days of the week. I count calories- it keeps my weight down.
One important point which needs to be discussed here_ quickie intense exercise may inviting more joint inflammation and other injury.
Moderate exercise, as one gets older, is wonderful for physical and mental well being.
12
@Bruce Berg - What you are doing is wonderful. Finding joint friendly, safe ways to add brief doses of intensity has, per many studies and anecdotes, great value. (In addition to everything else, as we age, it is empowering to know that we can, if we have to, not only walk 3-4 miles but, for example, sprint up a few flights of steps at top speed as well.) Your joint concerns are well founded, but not, IMO, enough reason to forego HIIT's benefits. Better to find a way that safely meets the goal. Elsewhere in comments I posted about Dr. Zach Bush's "Nitric Oxide Dump" workout. Others have commented about rowers or pool-exercise. One could explore using a high quality min-trampoline for sprints, etc., etc., etc. I hope you will consider adding joint
safe HIIT to your current program for greater benefits. Best to you.
Best way to burn fat and lose weight is not eat too much.Excess of anything walking and walking swim..or put pictures of straving children worldwide on fridge
7
I find HIIT brutal and unenjoyable. Walking, jogging or going on a long bike ride not only burn fat, they're a form of meditation that allows you to be outdoors. I find the more enjoyable you make exercise the more likely you are to continue doing it. And that's what leads to the best health.
28
@James-Of course, to each his/her own, but in addition to the wonderful medittative benefits of of steady state movement, brief "doses" (e.g., several 15-20 second hard efforts separated by rest / recovery) of HIIT offers many benefits. If they are introduced gradually but practiced consistently over time, they can (and have for me and many) become enjoyable in their own way. The different ways that different protocols are enjoyable are like different foods on a menu. Worth considering, I hope. Best to you.
Its bumfuzzling to read these columns, then the comments and see how little people learn over the years. No matter how many times the truth is repeated; dieting (calorie reduction) is the worst way to lose weight - people cling to it.
Plus the goal of weight loss alone is a stupid goal. Weight is not in itself a really useful health metric. I can weigh more then someone else, and be fitter and in better health. Someone can be lean/thin and not be healthy, or fit. Someone can be at their "ideal weight", and not be fit or healthy.
Scale weight is not a good means to measure fitness or health. Period, stop. Calorie reduction alone is a self-defeating path. Its, 1.unsustainable, 2. demands a continued lowering to reduce weight loss. 3. see #1. 4. it wastes the body of muscle mass. 5. see #1.
Exercise is NOT a magic bullet. But its an important means to the ends of getting fit and healthier, and yes losing "weight". Which should be about fat loss, and muscle retention or gain, not mere numbers on a scale.
Proper exercise/eating regimens makes you stronger, more resilient to all types of stress, and over time when performed properly, builds muscle mass, and keeps fat storage down to healthy levels.
While improper exercise/eating regimens work in the opposite direction. Too much, becomes a serious stressor. Wrongly performed, results in injuries. Choosing the wrong modality for ones needs and goals = counterproductive.
There are no magic exercises, or diets. NONE!
17
@Boregard I totally disagree. Calorie reduction works as long as it's not implemented within an unsustainable diet. The leanest athletes or exercisers in the world, bodybuilders, whether you hate or admire this discipline, it's not the point, all use calorie counting. Only calorie counting brings some males lower than 6% body fat and some females around 10%. I'm not saying by any stretch of imagination that being that lean is healthy or desirable, I'm just saying it works. It works on me. I'm not amused anymore when I stumble on people who believe the human body escape the laws of thermodynamics. It's still about energy management. I know, it's not uplifting and not fun, but we're stuck with this. Evolution made us, and all other animals, extremely gifted at storing surplus energy from food. This is why most mammals are still around after 50 million years of mammal evolution. You are not different than that squirel in your backyard, able to store fat when fed too much calories. Today we know that we become stronger and fitter through exercise and leaner in the kitchen. We need to work at both, do the right kind of exercise AND watch what we eat. Yep, it's tough and that's why most people fail. Anything worth achieving, whether it's in academics, work or how we look requires work. Not everybody gets into Harvard med school, not everybody will make one million a year and most people won't be able to be lean in our current environment, without work. Get a grip on this.
17
@Philippe Orlando
Nobody is claiming that the human body violates thermodynamics.
What we do know is that the body responds to prolonged calorie restriction by increasing hunger and decreasing metabolic rate. This makes calorie restriction alone unsustainable.
Focus on "calories" is also a complete misunderstanding of _why_ the body gains or loses weight in any tissue, and _why_ we are hungry for more or less calories.
Nutritional quality drives satiation, which limits appetite and subsequent calorie intake. Fix the nutritional quality, and appetite becomes largely self-regulating.
3
@Philippe Orlando
That drivel about med school, etc, irrelevant to the subject at hand.
Sure, calorie restricting diets (CRDs) can help you lose weight. But weight is not in itself a true health metric. CRD's typically do not result in the "burning up" of fat stores. Esp. intra-abdominal (visceral) fat stores, which are the real health issues. Fat storage in the body cavity, below the layers of skin.
In fact, reliance on and usage of CRDs likely contribute to visceral fat storage.
Anecdotal claims are not science. So; "I'm just saying it works. It works on me." Is wholly irrelevant to what are the best ways to lose fat and get healthier. Why do you need to do CRDs? You wouldn't IF you did it right from the start. I'm 55+, lean, heavily muscled and I never once did a CRD. Never! I have always eaten whole foods, and exercised 3-5xs week. For 45+ years.
CRDs should only come into play IF you're severely obese, or are prone to eating cr/ppy, nutritionally deficient foods. And thats really just calorie replacement, good calories for bad ones.
Body building (BB) dietary regimens should never enter into a health discussion. In fact, very little about the BB lifestyle should be mentioned. The steroid abuses aside, the pre- competition diets of pro BB's is not something any normal person should model.
You are clearly not aware of the rampant metabolism health problems, among others, many BBs suffer.
Stay in your lane. CRDs are ultimately unhealthy and self-defeating!
3
Work = force x distance
Force = mass x acceleration.
Work like calories are is measurements of energy.
Walking a mile is the same energy,/calories as running a mile. But walking takes longer.
1
@JDK
This sounds logical and it may work for machines, I don't know, but for people, no. The reason is because it takes so much more energy to run a mile than it does to walk it. It's apparent if you've ever done both. The actual formula is 50% more energy burned running a mile as walking it- by the same person. And, if you factor in the added time necessary to walk vs run, it would be 100% more energy, or twice the effort.
Needless to say, with running being a perennial sport, reams of papers have been written about it. One article that addresses this particular topic was written by RW mag:
https://www.runnersworld.com/nutrition-weight-loss/a20843760/running-v-walking-how-many-calories-will-you-burn/.
I'm glad you brought this up, though, because it is a good explanation as to why HIIT is more effective at burning calories/fat than steady state cardio. It's because it requires a lot more exertion.
4
@JDK
Not necessarily. Walking @4mph on a treadmill, I burn 6.7 calories per minute and 100 calories after 15 minutes (1 mile). But on the same treadmill, running at 5.5mph takes about only 11 minutes and 155 calories for a mile. The difference is very similar when I run outdoors.
2
question. as a senior citizen i also want to increase endurance. what is the best way to combine fat burning spurts w/improving endurance exercises?
3
@blondie
Best endurance exercise I know of is running long distances. Next best is walking long distances. During either of these events, you can designate certain short periods of time or certain short distances where you will accelerate to the point that it's hard to breathe. Then, you resume your normal pace. Those are your intervals or HIIT.
BTW, in NYC, I think the best place for a long distance walk or run is the Hudson River Greenway. It extends, in one continuous path, from just north of the GWB all the way to Battery Park. It's dead flat and easy to follow and beautiful, too!
4
@Ron A
...Next best is walking long distances. ..
----------- and, you're not eating while you're out walking long distances . . .
3
Any and every calculation of "calorie burning" as compared with how quick and easy it is to refill the tank by even a casual lapse of diet control, makes it a ridiculous proposition. Exercise is wonderful for fitness, full stop. The only weight loss exercise is pushing the meal plate away while you're still hungry.
3
Interesting, but without controlling for macronutrients, it think it’s hard draw hard conclusions from the study. Although, these good researchers, have already realized and should work it into a follow-up study.
2
Three days a week, I get on a treadmill and walk a tenth of a mile and then run the rest of the quarter and then walk, run, for 30 minutes. Each "lap" I add half a mile an hour to the running speed. So the runs range from 5.0 mph to 8.5 mph.
And every day, I walk the dog twice.
All I can conclude after 45 years of regular exercise is, I've gained eight pounds a decade no matter what. Some joke.
4
@Occupy Government
Whats regular? Maybe it the regular aspect that's the problem?
After my 45 years of irregular exercise, I'm only 20lbs heavier then I was in college and its not fat. I'm lean,ad muscled. My waist is only 1-2 sizes larger then my college years. Which I contend is due to variables in manufacturing.
By irregular I mean my workouts are not regular. They are only regular in that I do them regularly, 3-5xs a week - but the work-outs are varied. Month by month, year by year, I change modalities. But they always center around strength and freedom of movement. Cardio isn't my main concern, unless there's an upcoming event that would require it. Say a sponsored run, a long hike, or a competition.
Your body is bored with your exercise. You stroll with the dog, and by now that 5-9mph treadmill is not exercise but routine behaviors that its adapted to.
I always told my clients to think of exercise as EXtra activity. While the "exe" is not rooted in extra (but thoroughly in Latin) - it should be when programming exercise. EXTRA, in its not normal activity of the day.
Exercise needs to be more then normal daily activity. Which is what your routine has become...normal. You've adapted to it, while likely continuing to eat like you think its an making a difference in effort.
Go out, in the yard, a gym, etc, and pick up heavy things, move them around, put them down and do it over and over.
2
@Occupy Government
That's a good workout, but nutrition is way more important. My experience was very similar to yours until I started intermittent fasting - I've gone back in time (weight) several decades.
6
@Occupy Government You should try weight training. I was a cardio fanatic for years, only to really discover that maintenance was an uphill battle that was increasingly difficult to achieve. Then I completely ceased all steady-state cardio and began weight training. Huge difference. Its the only way to change your metabolism.
2
You cannot lose weight via exercising. If you’re not growing in youth or bodybuilding, your TOTAL energy consumption is essentially fixed - immutable.
1
I just wanna wake up in 200 years to this:
Dr. Melik: This morning for breakfast he requested something called "wheat germ, organic honey and tiger's milk."
Dr. Aragon: Oh, yes. Those are the charmed substances that some years ago were thought to contain life-preserving properties.
Dr. Melik: You mean there was no deep fat? No steak or cream pies or... hot fudge?
Dr. Aragon: Those were thought to be unhealthy... precisely the opposite of what we now know to be true.
7
You lifted that one from “Sleeper”.
8
@Casual Observer
Guilty as charged!
Exercising to lose weight is a waste of time and energy. Want to lose weight ? Reducing calories is the only sure fire way . Exercise to be healthy , not lose weight
9
@Dennis You are correct that changing one's diet rather than increasing exercise is the key to weight reduction. However, reducing calories is not the only sure way to loose weight, and over time this type of diet is less successful simply because calorie reduction diets are very difficult to sustain. A better way is to reduce calories from refined carbohydrates and sugar while compensating by increasing calories from fat. Overall calorie intake remains the same, making the diet easier to sustain, but lower intake of starchy and sugary foods lowers insulin levels, which enables the new mix of calories to be more efficiently burned by muscles rather than stored in the adipose tissues. The formula is carbohydrate consumption = increased insulin = obesity. The reverse clearly is carbohydrate reduction = insulin reduction = lower BMI.
6
And no one wants "loose" weight anyway, since it's likely most insurances sadly don't cover excess skin removal. :(
3
@john Riehle
Yes, processed carbs are bad for health. But apparently you didn't know that fat is twice as calorie dense as carbohydrates. saturated fat is a major driver of insulin sensitivity as well as increasing LDL.
2
Without using up more calories than one is ingesting, one will not lose any weight. Vigorous activity burns up more calories and it also calls on the body to use fat for fuel. For a lot of overweight people reducing their weight can reduce hypertension, correct unhealthy cholesterol and triglycerides, high blood sugar, and improve mental functioning. So while taking the time to exercise may seem unrewarding and tiresome, it can improve one’s experience of life.
High intensity exercise places great stresses on the structures of the bones, connective tissues and muscles. The actual forces of impulsive motions are not easy to measure from predictive math like differential calculus. The same problem applies to
the normal bodily feedback from the nerves in the body. The impulsive high intensity motions may not provide enough sense of how much strain is being applied until injuries have happened. The only way to anticipate how much is too much without injury is by gradually increasing the motions.
6
So, to summarize, exercise is good. : )
People vary quite a bit. I prefer moderate intensity intervals. High intensity just makes me not want to do it again, and if that happens, exercise becomes self-defeating.
7
In my opinion, the best sport that provides high intensity interval training is tennis. It's also so much fun that you barely notice the exercise it provides.
7
@naidipuz especially if you play singles. Studies show that people who play tennis live on average about 9 years longer than those who run or bike.
2
@TammyR Source?
1
People with higher levels of education and income also live longer, probably correlates with tennis, climbing Everest, skiing, yachting, etc.
7
Instead of always running late and having to grab a cab, it is ideal to plan ahead so that you can walk to your destination or at least to a location where after a bit of exercise you then hail a taxi or request Uber or take the subway. As an example, I found that a walk from 89th to 59th before getting a ride or in reverse at the end of the day can help to keep you reasonably fit. But, in cold or wet weather, that admittedly can be more unpleasant than most folks can tolerate. I have found that the ambiance and atmosphere in exercise facilities cause those to be locations that I don't enjoy so I try to walk whenever I can.
6
Since few people can distinguish a valid "study" from a paid advertisement, the average person seems to be left with only one source of information -- measuring and recording one's own daily weight and blood pressure in a consistent manner.
An annual reading of one's lipid profile adds to the individual's ability to immediately know if something is working or isn't.
2
It's my sense that any exercise you can do a long time keeps you away from the fridge the longest. The improvement in muscle mass is an extra benefit.
One-hour HIIT class followed by one-hour cardiovascular kickboxing test my endurance and increase my all-around strength, as opposed to the isolated strengthening of weight lifting. I take five-mile jogs with my arms up to firm up the abs and biceps while making me accustomed to keeping my guard up at the punching bag. Variety helps. I can do one type of exercise to the point of exhaustion. When I move directly to another kind of exercise, it's like beginning again with a new battery.
4
@Ants
I basically agree with you. been working out most of my life and am 70 yrs now. people think I'm 45 and I laugh. I do muy Thai cardio kickboxing for 20 min then spin bike at moderate to high intensity for 20 followed by 40 min of yoga stretching, core work and about 40 min of weights to end off. I do this 3.5 hour workout 3x a week and feel great. kudos to you and my fellow gym rats.
7
Older people must exercise and avoid resting or sitting a lot during the day. They need both aerobic and muscle resistance, and they should try to stay on their feet most of the time. They will have to tolerate minor aches and pains to persist in this but over time they will feel better and retain better balance and agility. Care must be taken to avoid injuries which prevent continuing to move about.
10
@Casual Observer
agree with you too casual. it takes time and patience to learn what your body can do. I constantly change my routine here and there when aches pop up and then get back on course.
4
Older people don’t heal quickly and are more likely to suffer damage to their joints and tissues from a life of wear and tear. High intensity exercise could produce injuries that end up limiting their overall activity. Sitting and prolonged rest can produce poorer overall health. It might be wise for older people to take high intensity exercise in small amounts and to try to rely more on less stressful kinds of exercise.
5
The best exercise machine in most gyms is the Ergometer (rowing machine).
It hits all of the major muscle groups and you do LSD or interval training on it. It also helps with flexibility.
Try it! You might like it.
Diet and exercise my friends...
M
9
High intensity exercise may produce a better ratio of results to time invested, but it will also produce more injuries for most people. I am convinced that when all the impacts and benefits of various exercise regimens are weighed, LSD (long, slow distance), or a variant thereof, will win the day. If you're injured, you're either not exercising or continuing to exercise to the detriment of your body.
10
The comments are as fascinating as the article.
16
I exercise 3-4x/week and remain overweight, but I enjoy exercise. My purpose is to be as fit as I can to play tennis. I have yet to lose weight in a medical weight loss program. I have a long history of efforts at weight loss. I had partial success with a gastric bypass. I do a mix of interval training and longer endurance training, depending on my energy level. 18-25 minutes of interval training is plenty. 30 minutes of endurance training. I am 61 with mild-moderate osteoarthritis which rules out running for me. I am reasonably comfortable on an elliptical. I also spend time strengthening my back, knees and hips with physical therapy type exercises and do single-set strength training (very slow) 2x/week. My body feels good and mood is lifted when I work out. I'd like to do more, but my time is limited. I am not so optimistic that I can lose weight by doing more interval training, but I am glad I am doing what I am.
19
@rdb1957
all power to you. keep it up. you're an inspiration.
4
<< 3.5 pounds of fat during most studies, versus about 2.5 pounds for moderate exercisers.
It is worth noting that this is a one-pound difference, which in real-world terms is almost negligible.>>
Really??? Are you kidding me??? It is worth noting that 1) this is a forty percent difference, and 2) This is among the least things ever published by the NYT.
4
@bruce
I think they mean it's negligible for one's overall weight, for a 200 lb man it's 0.5% which is negligible and within the range of normal daily fluctuation.
1
I’m a personal trainer. To loose fat you need to modify your diet. Cut out sugar, processed foods and simple carbs. Exercise to add lean muscle (which helps burn fat), improve balance and core strength, and to increase aerobic capability. This study seems to ignore the effects of diet, so it doesn’t make sense In terms of fat loss to me. You’d want everyone to be on the same diet to truly compare the two.
22
No one wants loose fat, though - esp. if one's insurance doesn't cover skin removal (sadly, most don't).
And agreed re: diet being a huge part of it - something I'm currently working on to lose weight myself. The struggle is real!
3
@Amy
I'm with you Amy. exercise is only one part of a healthy lifestyle. diet, stress reduction and plenty of sleep are the other parts of the puzzle.
3
@Amy you can’t out train a bad diet!
3
Most previous "studies" have agreed the way to lose weight (and fat?) is based on exercising off more calories than taking in. Now we are told that losing fat is the key. What's old is new and what's new is old.
1
Rather than asking whether a particular workout will burn more fat, we should be focusing on the health benefits of any workout, fast or slow, interval or not.
I found that when I incorporated a half-hour to hour walk, not always all at one time, stairs and parking away from store entrances, I easily lost 50 pounds.
My only other tool was an exchange diet from a book a dietician gave me in 1995. Using that book I wrote down every single morsel I ate, the number of exchanges and the calories. I aimed to eat a set number of exchanges from each food group each day. As long as I continued writing down what I ate, I kept the weight off. I only gained after three years when I stopped keeping tabs on my diet.
4
@Barbara
Diet & exercise, you got it. I'm old and hate high-intensity training. I got a (5 yr old) dog and learned how to walk her & do so (7 to 10 miles) every day. I dropped 30 lbs the first year or so & kept it off for the last 4 years, no problem. Now I just try to keep up with my dog on her two daily walks. 8>)
3
Given that most of the actual “weight” of fat loss (the residue of burning fat molecules) is exhaled as CO2 it would seem that the easiest way to check for the most efficient exercise for weight loss would be to measure the amount of CO2 being produced the day of the exercise (measuring the whole day to see if there are residual benefits to the exercise)? I imagine this is measured, but as it’s never mentioned it seemed reasonable to ask.
2
Yet another useless tip from the nytimes "health blog" that just republishes existing poorly substantiated research. Next week, "long runs are back".
2
There exists a world of oddball exercisers, you can see them at the gym. They ostentatiously extend out their leg behind themselves, or are wearing a hat on an aerobic device, or have the equipment set to a resistance so low a child could move it.
It's all good, it's just not all effective. If your time means anything to you, you want to be effective at your workout. It's a smelly place to just hang out. If you don't actually know how exercise works ( good form carried to form failure in weights, or inducing sweating in aerobics) then do this; pick out someone with a body you like and emulate them.
1
Eating less burns fat.
3
Why doesn't someone just say performance matters most. If your aiming to be fit, thin, and some what muscular then you need to go out there and try to run 3 miles in under 25 minutes five days a week. If you can reach this milestone you'll have certain appearance.
If you want strong large muscle then go out there and lift heavy.
Your body is just like wall street "higher risk = higher returns"
what about eating freshly cooked food with moderate portions...so no extra fat to be burned...then enjoy leisurely lengthy exercises for cardiovascular benefits ...no need for Hiit
Squash is nature’s HIIT. But to avoid injuries (especially as you age) make sure to warm up before setting foot on the court! 5-10 on elliptical w heart rate around 135 followed by 5-10 dynamic stretching will do the trick. Then static stretching after you play. And play right, w the right people: long, attritional points / no “shooting” aka “old man’s squash”!
@Dan'
Heart rates vary tremendously by individual; a one-size-fits-all HR recommendation for warm up exercise is not very useful.
Agree that squash is a great exercise.
1
I have found through decades of recreational running that the long, slow stuff will only get you so far.
If I REALLY wanted to peak out, it was interval training all the way. I would start out with an easy half-mile warm-up and then do quarter mile "sprints" with ten-minute rests in between for as long as I could stand.
The work-out would last a half hour.
Do this three times a week and you will be in the best shape of your life.
2
@steve The general plan sounds good. But if the workout lasts 30 minutes, you only have time for two, or at most three, sprints. A shorter rest might be better.
My mother is 94 in Maine and in better health than she was when I lived with her.
She does 26 yoga positions every morning on the floor, not in a chair, and she walks at least an hour and a half a day.
Her only problem is she says she's baffled why she is still here. I say, "Ma, you exercise".
17
@Guy Walker You have a good role model!
@Guy Walker
you're mom is an inspiration to me. I'm 70 and I have two uncles in their mid 90's and they look good and are mobile. they swim and work out on machines. they're my kind of heros.
1
When you are a senior it's not a good thing to brief intense workouts...if you do you are looking at injuries!
6
@antiquelt
Not necessarily true. I"m 71, been doing them for years, and have never suffered serious injury. What's more, the superior conditioning has allowed me to participate in other activities--skiing, boxing, technical scuba diving, mountain biking, trail running--also without injury. I listen to my body, take regular recovery periods, hydrate a lot and eat judiciously. Intervals aren't for everybody, but neither is a blanket warning to all "seniors."
3
@sarge32
When I was running I incorporated interval training and my results definitely improved.
I believe the key phrase is " . . . been doing them for years . . ". A senior who embarks on such a program without preparation will likely pay a price in a cycle of injury and recovery.
2
@antiquelt A few months ago one of the other NYT writers posted about the difficulty in doing the intense short workouts, and provided easier alternatives to common HIIT exercises (e.g. do push ups against a wall as opposed to on the floor).
1
As the science is not clear I will continue to do both.
Just in case.
7
This is not "news". This information has been available and widely published for a very long time. No one approach is effective for everyone.
2
Very entertaining to read comments like "These meta studies involving thousands of people must be wrong because they don't conform with my personal experience and lack of expertise."
10
In the first sentence the work "may" says it all.
2
This is not complicted. Move more and eat less.
8
Once again, Irving Dardik's work vindicated! He has been saying this for 20+ years but has never received the credit he deserves.
2
The whole concept of "fat burning" for permanent weight loss is fatally flawed.
You don't lose fat cells. They are human cells, like nerve cells, or bone cells or blood cells or muscle cells. Their average lifetime is about ten years—from the time they are formed (from fat stem cells), until they undergo apoptosis (programmed cell death) about ten years later, when they are replaced by a replacement fat cell.
They can get a little smaller temporarily, by losing a little water or cytoplasm, but exercise—any kind—simply does not change their quantity, their number, in any long-term way. They will just fill back up again given the chance...
That is why exercise doesn't effect weight in any meaningful way in the long run.
It's a fool's errand.
Magical thinking versus simple biology.
6
@SRP That's insightful. So then what is one supposed to do though to be less fat? Both in terms of health and aesthetics, what is one to do to be less fat? And for that matter, the "studies" say that fat in the midsection is not good, so ought to be rid of. But based on what you are saying that the fat simply doesn't get eliminated from the body, then what to do?
2
@Sam -
That is why losing weight long-term is so difficult.
And why so few people can do it successfully.
And to make it worse, when a significant amount of water or cytoplasm/fat is lost, equilibrium processes kick in to move our bodies in the opposite direction (Google "adaptive thermogenosis").
In any case, you shouldn't exercise for weight loss.
What is that saying about the definition of "insanity"? Trying the same thing over and over again and hoping for a different result?
But, hey, it's big business...(sucker).
@SRP -
I just read my previous post and want to make clear the the "(sucker)" snark was not intended for @Sam, but instead for those who pay money to fitness clubs etc in the hope that it will cause them to lose substantial weight. Unfortunately, this works for very few. That is simply what the data says. Lots of exercise or physical activity just makes us hungrier and eat more.
To lose weight permanently, the best strategy is to concentrate on eating less.
Avoid empty calories (like in sweet drinks).
Listen to your own body. Learn what satisfies your hunger most efficiently.
Eat—not until you are full—but just until you no longer feel hungry.
Portion control.
And most importantly, do this continuously over a period of many, many years.
1
Article: "A few minutes of brief, intense exercise may be as effective, or more effective, for incinerating body fat than walking, jogging, swimming or cycling for lengthier periods."
In other words: They equally ineffective.
1
I am 62 and began an intensive workout regime after reading "Younger Next Year" last July. I've had high blood pressure for years now, mostly controlled with medication. I thought that exercising would help, but in spite of doing 45 mins a day of fairly intense cardio 6 - 7 days a week, I was still having issues. My doctor increased my medication. I started monitoring my BP closely, and surprisingly, my HIIT workouts have by far the best effect on lowering my BP. It's really rather dramatic. Has anyone else noticed this?
4
None of the commenters address the needs of poor people who have no time, can't afford gyms and pools and whose neighborhoods are unsafe for outdoor exercise. One of my older patients increased her fitness by going up the stairs in her office, increasing one flight at a time until she managed the entire six flights with ease. She didn't lose weight but was much fitter at no cost.
In addition, she astonished her 30 years younger co-workers during a power cut, when she passed them on the stairs without breaking a sweat.
Dietary advice is three words - "No junk food" - people know what it is.
8
@Augusta Umanski
If poor people have four minutes and a small amount of floor space, they can do 15 modified pushups, 30 jumping jacks, 15 squats and 30 seconds of another exercise (crunches, plank, etc) to achieve great results without any equipment at all.
4
Good point about access to exercise, and HIIT potentially has different barriers to participation than steady state cardio. However, I'm not sure interval training saves much time. In most protocols you warm up and cool down for 5-10mins first, and that plus the total time spent in the interval and gasping-for breath rest periods tends to get close to what steady state cardio does. In fact, I think a lot of studies are set up to have equal time (so as to make a fair comparison between protocols). This idea of "a few hard minutes" is bogus. You do several sets of hard minutes.
Long term adherence is probably the most important thing. As you say, intervals of stairs or jumping rope might be easier for some people than finding place to run or cycle.
4
Injuries really disrupt wellness regimens! This article does mention the importance of warm up and cool down. However, disproportionate focus is still on the prize (weight/fat loss) rather than on adopting a sustainable healthy lifestyle. Dr. Steele’s comments about adding options or diversity to exercise regimens I think is spot-on and probably also will support the sustainability of a fitness regimen. Although it should be obvious, baseline fitness must also be fully understood before adopting any regimen.
2
Doesn't a warm up and cooldown defeat the notion of "a few hard minutes of exercise is as good as 40 mins of moderate intensity"? It's a wash. Add up your warmup, cooldown, work and rest time, and you're going to be at 30-40 mins.
People read these headlines and think they can get a workout in 5 mins, when in reality that doesn't even cover their warmup.
@Hope
Don't you always do a warmup and cooldown when you do longer, moderate intensity workouts? I do. Basically, taking into account the warmup and cooldown, the higher intensity workout takes half the time.
1
I think high intensity training is great, you just have to work out what your body can take. More than once I have gone hard on a hill sprint or a frenetic cycle and pulled a muscle, putting an end to vigorous exercise for months at a time. Partly this is a result of weak glutes, tight hips etc, which I can put up with on a slow and steady run. My thoughts are build up slowly, get the muscles balanced, and then go for it.
7
You can't live forever. Quality over quantity.
There is no trophy for the biggest #. You'll be dead when they hand it to you.
There is no special nobility in longevity. Enjoy your life.
6
Feeling healthy and fit. Being able to do more. Enjoying the inner sparkle of endorphins after a workout. Lowering stress and depression. These are some of the benefits of exercise. When I run, it’s so I’m happier now. It works.
8
I urge readers to try shuffling which they can learn from many tutorials on you tube. Five minutes of “running man” seems like twenty minutes of jogging. If weak knees or knee surgeries run in the family, be careful though at advanced years.
1
Not knowing the original fitness level of these "pooled" participants creates many questions.
That aside. The very obese (with subcutaneous, and intra-abdominal fat stores) are gonna have to do a whole lot of high intensity exercise to even start their fat burning mechanism. Doing some HIIT, once a day a few times a week ain't gonna do it. Especially if they are generally inactive. They might have to do some HIIT a few times a day. (thereby risking injury due to lack of body control, and/or fatigue, etc) And for the extra obese and likely very unfit, doing SIT is absurd. Again, they are more likely to hurt themselves over doing themselves much good.
Look, when I used to train clients who were truly obese, 15+ pounds over any standard weight norms, they are likely so unfit that their first goals were not about losing weight. If they lost pounds, great, but that was not the primary goals. Primary was getting them fit enough at the weight and condition they were in, so they could; 1. gain some body control and 2. awareness of proper movement, then 3. gain strength and 4. endurance enough to exercise at a truly elevated rate of effort and time.
Till the obese and unfit get in decent shape for the shape they are IN when they start seriously exercising, they are most likely to fail in the long term.
Looking to lose fat (weight) is the gravy on top of getting fitter and fitter.
Get fit; get strong, gain endurance and proper mobility, and the fat loss will come.
5
This article is fatally low on relevant information. In the key paragraph that begins with "Perhaps most important" it compares short interval exercise with prolonged moderate exercise but fails to say how long, or how prolonged, but proceeds to provide the difference in pounds lost. How can anyone take anything useful away from that? Very frustrating.
5
Just to repeat that new adage - Get thin in the kitchen, get fit in the gym.
6
Start by making lifestyle changes. Eat healthy, move more, do some sort of high intensity workout at least a couple of times a week, sleep on time, stay hydrated and keep stress at bay and you notice changes in your mental and physical health.
Go to any military unit that uses a PAR courses and you will find a much leaner fitter unit than the one that does group exercises and a group run. This isn’t rocket science... nrk LTC USA Ret.
The most effective exrcise to lose weight is wiggling one's ears, which unfortunately most people cannot do
9
Regarding weight gain/loss...you can burn 500 cals in half and hour of swimming but eat the same right back in in 90 seconds.
'Nuff said.
4
Amen!
That's great for the young that can do strenuous exercises, but what about the rest of us?
3
@Ryan - HILLS. Jogging, even brisk walking, up a moderate incline for just a minute or so is strenuous enough to both burn body fat and complete most of what a good workout requires. Just don't forget a slow, patient warm-up and warm-down.
For those of us with chronic health issues, let us work on the maximum exercise effort we can do. Let up the pressure that we aren't cutting it if all we can do is a daily 20 min walk. Really folks, save the bragging for your friends.
5
These articles exist entirely to provide a forum for the bragging, especially from the privileged elderly who have access to expensive sports like tennis, squash, skiing and goodness knows what else, but also excellent and secure health care.
1
I’m 65 and have been doing intense intervals since the 1960’s. Back in the 1970’s it was known as “fartlek” (“speed play” in Swedish). I did plenty of distance running and bicycling. In the mid-1980’s, I took up triathlon, competing for 20 years. This kept my weight down to a low BMI. I retired from triathlon at age 50 and quickly gained 5-10 useless pounds. At 55, I decided to get back into hiking and swimming, and I trained for open water swims. Those, combined with cross country skiing in the winter – another good “HIIT” activity (the hills are natural “high intensity” features) – brought my weight down a notch. Finally, when my son began competitive swimming, I took it up too. HIIT is a key principle of swim training. General lap swimming may be all about grinding out “lap after lap”, which seems to be the source of boredom for some. But competitive swimming isn’t boring at all – it’s a highly technical activity, given the challenge of moving through the water efficiently. Metabolically, it’s about varying intensity and rest periods (intervals). I just needed to avoid emulating my son who drinks the quart of whole-fat chocolate milk after his workouts. Another great benefit of swimming is core strength, especially with dolphin kick, and this has significantly reduced episodes of lower back pain. Although most workouts are 45 to 90 min., I also mix in shorter workouts with HIIT. In a 1200 yard “mini swim workout” I get HIIT from the two 100 IM’s I swim!
4
What if you do both?
For example, I ride a bike a lot from April through November. I do 15 -20 miles on a typical day (45-70 minutes) but because I live in a hilly area, every half mile or so there’s another short hill, or a longer one, either of which requires sustained high intensity effort. So I cruise along at 17 mph, then hit a hill that has me down to half that (or less) until I reach the top. That is pretty high intensity, in the midst of a moderate workout. I know this drops weight, helps BP, makes me stronger cardio-wise. And getting up a hill is great for mental toughness.
You can do the same on a rower or bike in a gym.
If you’re going to work out, do it for your whole body and mind.
1
Most of the articles about weight control in this section focus on exercise. More attention to dietary factors might also be helpful.
7
Lots of food articles as it relates to diets (of all kinds) are in the food section. Mark Bittman wrote an entire book about eating vegan, which I read and It inspired me to adjust my diet.
2
@Aaron Kinchen I too eat vegan, so I understand your enthusiasm. My first comment was based on my belief that any recommendations regarding diet are contentious and controversial, more so than articles such as the one today on exercise. Nevertheless, I believe that this health section would be more useful if food controversies and disagreements were addressed. Also, I realize that many readers benefit from the strong offerings about exercise. But, as an older person, many of those articles have little relevance. I suggest that some portion of the exercise articles address the needs of seniors, and provide some research that includes that group.
I’ve counseled hundreds of patients over 4 decades on how best to lower cardiovascular risk, improve fitness and perhaps lose weight along the way. Most are very disappointed to learn that walking a mile at a 15-20 minute pace barely moves the calories burned needle past 150 depending on weight of the individual. Despite good evidence for H.I.I.T., most cannot or will not exert themselves to those levels. Best advice remains Mediterranean style eating, portion control, eliminate all soft drinks and juices, little or no alcohol, don’t eat in evening after supper and do whatever exercise you will maintain over time.....hopefully one you enjoy.
33
"In general, the endurance-style workouts lasted for about 40 minutes."
Another Gretchen Reynolds laugher. Losing fat is about losing weight, which means fewer net calories. To anyone familiar with exercise, 40 minutes at a (unspecified) "moderate pace" is hardly sufficient output to compare to repeated, very intense intervals -- at any age, If the point of the study's authors is to say that if one has only 40 minutes, then they might as well do intervals, that's fine and dandy if the intervals are intense enough. But the latter require a lot of conditioning first, including endurance training longer than 40 minutes, unless some of the latter is done at more than a moderate pace.
2
When I was 20 my weight was 66 kg. At 50 it was 78. I decided to bring it down. How? Less meat, only every 2 days and only half, no more chips or french fries, fresh fruit and green stuff but raw. Only few bread. Eat only twice a day and fast 15 hours in between. I found out I was never hungry. I had been healthy except cholestr 240 which was down to 180 after 9 months and my weight was down to 69kg. Most body fat was gone. Try it!
8
@Paul Different things work for different people. I'm a snacker. I eat about six times a day, average meals with small snacks in between. I also do aerobic exercises three times a week for 45 minutes. I'm almost 70. My weight and BMI are perfect. I never deprive myself of small portions of sweets and other junk foods, but I also eat lots of fruits, vegetables and fiber.
I'm very healthy other than for osteoarthritis, which is an extremely common disease in women my age. If you have degeneration of the knees, I suggest you wear compression sleeves while exercising. They help limit the pain and enable you to stay active. Posted by "Mrs. Fred"
2
I have been fit and slim my whole life because I work out 6x/week. However, I only do 45-50 min of indoor cycling 2x/week. My other activities are yoga 1-2x/week, deep water fitness 2x/week and ballet class 3-4x/week. I will sometimes take spin class, then a deep water fitness or yoga class afterwards. Doing two activities in one trip to the gym is more time efficient. Or, I take ballet in the am, then yoga or deep water class at night. I love ballet class the most - it never feels like a chore. None of my workouts are HIIT (I ride moderately in spin class). I think being a ballet dancer is the main reason that my body is strong, beautifully toned and lean. I eat healthy from all the food groups and never restrict or diet. In my experience, it's the amount of low to moderate intensity exercise that has been most effective for keeping fit.
2
Another bit of "expert" advice -- really folks, exercise is good for you, no question about it but to burn fat, diet comes into play. It's really not hard to understand, fewer calories eventually leads to weight loss.
4
@Alan Day If it was easy to do, there wouldn't be an obesity problem.
1
We own a Peloton and I love the HIIT workouts - they're my favorite of all the rides. It's good to know I'm doing such a good thing for my body.
1
@Shane
Especially if you can state the Pelaton in a super photogenic setting. Score!
Sure, the new study reports "a few minutes of brief, intense exercise may be as effective as much lengthier... workouts" but I bet an even newer study will state that a few seconds of intense exercise is far better than even a few minutes.
6
I have lost a great deal of weight and my metabolism is suprisingly robust . I attribute this to doing moderate strength training while actively losing weight. eating a diet high in protein and non procesed foods usually as well balanced meals that include proteins veggies fat and fruit and now taking up an activity that lends itself to HIIT workouts.
5
One doctor I happen to highly respect has said, “Exercise is like brushing your teeth - it’s good for you and should be done every day - just don’t expect it to cause weight loss.” In my opinion, fat loss is perhaps 95% diet or what you eat.
29
"Plan your workouts around your preferences and schedules" is the best advice in this article. The real point is that for most of us, the need is to create a workout regime that works for each person that fits an individual's time constraints and avoids boredom and injuries.
10
Please tell me how to add HIIT to a workout regimen if one has injured knees. (Both are bone on bone: osteoarthritis from previous trauma).
7
@Thorina Rose: Swimming can be done in intervals, and upper body weight lifting circuits can be done fast with rest periods. There's also bicycle type pedals for use with hands/arms, but I don't know how intense you can actually get. And recommend also looking into "super slow" weightlifting. Mercola website has good intro info on this.
5
Swimming might work - four laps easy, two laps fast as possible, four laps recovery, three laps fast as possible, etc...
5
@Thorina Rose: On the swimming option an easy pattern: after a few laps warm up, then do lap intervals -- push it for a lap, take a rest until catch breath (minute or two should do), then push through another lap. 6 - 10 laps should work good.
4
This may be all true, but I tried it about a year and a half ago, doing intense intervals of sprinting and I stretched a hamstring that took about a year to heal to the point that I didn’t feel it when I was running. Of course, I’m a senior citizen so that should be a fact that one takes into account while considering the costs and benefits.
14
3.5 pounds of weight loss vs 2.5 is actually a significant difference when talking about a large sample size. So there’s that.
Something I read awhile ago that seems to be correct to me is that either HIIT or steady state cardio will work. But HIIT is much more time efficient. A 20-30 minute HIIT workout will do the same metabolic work as an hour or more of steady state jogging.
I do both. I do HIIT training. I go for long hikes and bike rides. They both work, and combined with strength training and dietary changes, my body fat percentage has dropped from 38% to 23% in 8 months. But if I’m trying to have a life at the same time, HIIT is less time consuming.
19
@Ann
That is impressive.
1
I am a long distance runners as well as a crossfitter with my own personal home crossfit gym and somes the crossfit WODS or metcons aka H I I T are supposed to be fast and hard which can elevate HR and metabolic rate to burn more calories than less say a longer slow 18 mile training run for a marathon. If the workout is shorter than the persons intensity has to increase to reap these benefits. I can burn more calories after a 8 minute 5k race even after the race is done compared to the previous longer slower 18 mile training run for NYC marathon training program. Athletes of all types must do various workouts and cross train to reap the benefits of slow and quicker fast muscle fiber twitch. Skipping rope for 10-15 minutes is a great caloric burn lasting even after the activity is done.
Keep on keeping on! : )
5
@Michael LaMorte
8 min 5K?
@Michael LaMorte after AN 8-minute mile 5K.
Since I find so many people about me do all they can to avoid exercise, however much they talk about, well, tomorrow, I think setting aside enough time for an ample walk or run to be be essential. Looking for shortcuts, even intense shortcuts, strikes me as self-defeating and I know no person at all who keeps to such a regime.
I walk and run for at least 40 minutes a day, and will do no less.
12
@Nancy
Also, I walk and run each day just long and hard enough to be able to work happily today and exercise again tomorrow.
7
@Nancy That’s very interesting that you don’t know anyone who does high intensity shorter workouts! Just to broaden your scope, I’ll add that I am 48 years old and have done high intensity interval training 2 to 4 times a week for the past 16 years. I do it in the form of 25 minute interval running up steep hills. I love it and never get tired of it. It is perfect for someone as busy as I am, as a mother of an elementary age child. I also enjoy Zumba, which has some very intense intervals built into it. I am neither an Olympic-level athlete nor particularly slender, but I am very healthy and very happy with my workouts. Plus, these workouts have radically helped me manage a difficult perimenopause.
10
@Nancy I’m glad you have that kind of time every day, but many don’t. If short, intense intervals burn fat and improve health outcomes, why would you judge them so harshly?
2
The best exercise is that which you will do, day in and day out, for most of us. And it's exercise that will make you feel better, not kill your knees .
63
My friend has a good and simple method for weight loss. You can eat anything you want but only for an 8 hour window in the middle of the day. She doesn't eat anything past 16:00. It's genius because it's simple in theory (and harder in practice).
9
@Shirabira
It's not hard. I have been doing what I call the "Mouse Diet" for two years. (It was a real study involving three sets of mice. Unlimited eating of all manner of foods, unlimited healthy foods and restricted hours plus only healthy foods.) It DOES matter what you eat during those hours. I get up at 6 and from that moment, I allow myself 9 hours to eat only healthy, organic foods- high in protein, good fats with lots of variety in fruits and vegetables. I do not eat junk foods, nor do I drink diet anything. I do love a good cup of coffee with cream. I also exercise each day with weights and high-intensity brief workouts either running, rowing or swimming. I have kept the same weight of 135 for 37 years. I am 5'10. I used to teach a class in what I called "Environmental Health" to children. Why are kids and adults so heavy? Carbs, lack of exercise and woeful ignorance surrounding food choices. I would have them cut out pictures from magazines of what they were eating, their levels of activity, check their body mass index and stress levels. I started a biking, hiking, gardening program to show them the fun in movement and just being joyously alive individuals. The gym teacher and I collaborated. Hard? What's hard is losing weight after it's packed on. Kids will have shortened life spans and diabetes due to their parents' ignorance. They thought I was hurting them by taking them out snowshoeing or hiking in the woods. Lol! So much resistance.
10
When will you people ever learn: You get thin in the kitchen, you get fit in the gym. Put aside your childish fantasies: You can't outrun a bad diet.
I.e., if you continue to eat the poisonous, highly processed, high in salt, oil and sugar "food" sold in America's grocery stores and fast food restaurants (a.k.a., the Standard American Diet), NO amount of exercise in the world will ever save you from being fat and sick with the chronic diseases that afflict your health and the nation's runaway health care costs.
Your fate is and will continue to be determined by what is on the end of your fork.
For those of you who remain in denial, by all means go renew your health club memberships. It's obviously worked so well for you.
100
@Greg Gerner
Well done Greg. I'm surprised your truthful post wasn't removed for violating hate speech laws. Big fat American will never learn and the truth hurts.
2
@Greg Gerner
This has little to do with which exercise is best for burning fat.
1
I am over 60. Doing a low intensity 3 hrs bike ride, 6 hours walk, 1 hour run outdoors is fun. Doing 6 times 400 yards sprints with jogging in between is pure pain. I have no problem to do the former and I always commiserate with myself the day I do the high intensity stuff - sometimes even convincing myself to skip it. You know the stupid excuses of hard rain or sub-freezing temperatures or heat.
I simply do not believe that HIIT is a reasonable recommendation for somebody who struggles to do the “normal” workouts because they are so so hard - just pain. It is too easy to find an excuse.
9
Why do the last few paragraphs of these articles always nullify the the rest of the story? “Workout as you like,” seems like the best advice given here, and basically sums up every exercise story I’ve read.
20
@Bags I agree. They always end more or less with "do something anyway". It just keeps coming back to "balance" in my experience. "A little bit of this, a little bit of that". (Good song too btw)
3
Let us know when "may" changes to is.
And also when you're done recycling the exact same unresolved "science" as reportage.
3
The basic question is silly.
You have to eat less in order to loose weight. If you start running, you start changing fat to muscles, the problem with that is that muscle as heavier than fat. So people are not getting leaner.
Runners are usually leaner because they eat better. If you run often enough you system is so efficient that you don't really loose more while exercising.
So no, running is not good for you if you just want to loose weight.
Runner for over 3 decades here.
4
40 minutes of intense exercise is not "brief" or a "few minutes."
7
@Southern Hope
"In general, the endurance-style workouts lasted for about 40 minutes."
This is not brief or a few minutes but enough for a fine workout, and this is what I do each day. I walk and run for 40 minutes, and I do not pretend to be training for the Olympics or any sort of competition.
1
I am enjoying reading all the comments, it makes for a lovely break from the Cohen testimony and tribulation. Especially funny was Paula D. of Grand Rapids remark that H.I.I.T. led to H.I.I.E High Intensity Interval Eatting.
66
@Ann Korach I agree.
1
I turned to marathon running about seven years ago (I'm 53), to kick my lazy butt into a higher gear. It worked; and I've been afraid to stop since (only partially joking)! I certainly see people who spend a lot less time exercising than I do, and still get great results--with consistency.
But, I really wanted to write to thank Ms. Reynolds for her constant vigilance in finding the latest studies (even studies of studies) and interpreting them for the rest of us. I subscribe to NYT mainly to have access to her articles, and share them regularly.
4
Me too!
This article seems to bury the lead till the last three paras.
The real way to burn fat is to eat less.
Very unpopular amidst the obesity epidemic and no money in it.
26
A 3.5 pound loss vs. a 2.5 pound loss is not negligible when considering 1000 individuals. HIIT athletes lost nearly 30% more fat than the less intensive exercisers.
6
For 10 years in a dense urban environment I had to move the car 3 times a week, regardless of my state of mind or what I wore, by 6am to avoid getting a ticket or towed.
10 years later and no car to move, I still use the neurosis caused by this as a pilot light:
"Aaron, it's time to Move The Car" I tell myself and boom, there's enough endogenous fire to get moving. How long this hypnosis works is anyone's guess!
26
I've always snacked a lot. Any kind of exercise that gets me away from the fridge, tv, and computer will help me with weight control. When I first started walking I lost a good bit of weight. I have found yoga and water exercise and mat pilates interesting, and they make me feel stronger and better than walking alone. But they all get me out of the house.
15
As an avid bicyclist/tandemist I understand that the first 30 minutes properly structured are all about your body and muscles. Everything after that is about your head, the feeling of movement, the flow of endorphins, the sense of well being,...
As one who went from 225 pounds to 150 and stayed low for 20 years, regular almost daily exercise works. In the off-season 30 minutes on the trainer doing what I call progressive intervals, is sufficient to maintain fitness and weight. More than 30 minutes of "Tour de Garage" (a.k.a., going nowhere fast) will make my brain explode - it is just boring. Yes I do some stretching and strength training but two wheels is primary.
That being said, when the weather gets warm, the roads beckon and 30 minutes, while sufficient for the body, is not sufficient for the mind.
12
Looking at the study linked, this was mostly for people under 30, at least where most of the benefit was seen. In spite of testimonials here, there is some reason to be concerned about blanket application of HIT to people over 50.
Is it wise to drop moderate intensity training, especially as we age? Could it be damaging to switch to HIT? Lots of questions still apply.
8
@JSK - yes, and the last thought of this article, buried in the ultimate paragraph, seems to be the most important: "work out how you like."
4
I'm 49. I run, lift, and ski. I run 6.5 miles (60 minutes) 5 times a week (as a backdrop, NYC never gets boring). I do two 65 min lifting sessions a week. I don't use trainer. I rest 90 seconds between sets. By the end of 65 mins, I'm usually dripping sweat. For me, free squats, barbell curls, skullcrushers, dumbbell shoulder presses, machine flyes, weighted leg press, deadlifts, and machine rows tend to elevate my heart rate. Dumbbell lunges make my heartrate skyrocket (almost all leg works, such as free squats and leg press, shoot my heartrate up high). So, I guess, lifting is a type of HIT. (Oddly, bench press never makes me breathe hard, even when I reach failure.)
I see people at my gym texting between sets. They're usually the chubbiest people at my gym. From this, I infer that an hour of lifting can serve as intensity training, if one keeps rests between sets under 2 minutes. Don't talk to your trainer. Don't text.
5
@Anti-Marx people need to do what they can. It may be different than what you do. I do not text at the gym, but a lot of people do. And a lot of them are darn fit and not chubby.
The vast majority of calories one consumes is used to keep one's body warm. The key is to keep it as the amount as low and healthy as possible---how many extra calories are stored as fat is based on one's DNA and that is something tough to fight against.
The differences in levels of exercise from HIIT to running and walking for slightly longer intervals are in the noise range.
3
@glennmr Totally agree. If weight loss is the goal, then diet is the key, not exercise. However there are many benefits to exercising and it shouldn't be omitted.
9
@glennmr
Nothing (for me) sheds weight like skiing 5 hrs a day in 27 degrees. After 4 days of skiing, my ski pants start to slide off.
I no longer believe that. Today I believe that to lose weight you need intense exercise-short bursts are fine; however, it means shorter intervals before you’ll need to do another intense exercise session —before the effects of the first session begin to wear off. If you are sweating from exertion, you have kicked up your metabolism for 8-28 hours. To keep it up you need to do it again. If you are trying to lose weight you cannot overeat. You must notice which food additives cause unrestrained eating or weight gain; even if it’s only a temporary effect, never eat them again.
1
To lose weight, you need to reduce caloric intake - period.
With respect to the caloric intake, you must try to eat as clean as possible - only meats, whole milk and certain vegetables.
Exercising for 1 hour or 10 minutes has very little impact on weight loss.
8
@Prof Emeritus NYC however, that does not hold true for everyone! Being hypothyroid (even slightly) is like having a zero metabolism.
With an excellent diet, I cannot maintain or lose an ounce if I don't exercise at least 3 times a week (combination cardio, squats and weights).
Some people don't even get that much accomplished, hard as they may try because their DNA program does not permit.
13
@Prof Emeritus NYC Whole milk? It's like putting poison in your body as it leeches calcium.
1
I agree except when you start talking real endurance training...when I start to dramatically increase my running mileage for marathons, the weight falls off.
1
I believe it. It works for me.
As much as I loved running, biking, skiing, and hiking the mountains, at 62, and after 45 years of hard physical labor (farming, soldiering, and wildland firefighting), I can no longer do those exercises without debilitating pain - no matter how hard I've tried recently. I've got webbing holding rectus muscles together, rather compromising my core, have torn both shoulders, have pins in my back and am in need of more. So finding exercises that will work for me is a bit of a trick - one that changes almost daily. Everything I do now is based around maintaining pull-ups and planking, and doing each exercise excruciatingly slow to keep my arms and shoulders from tearing out from overuse.
A five-minute daily plank interspersed with a slow push-up every five seconds, and a dozen, slow, perfectly formed pull-ups performed throughout the day, should keep anyone in reasonable shape. With smart eating, the fat only comes from the beer, which, sadly, I now limit, for I no longer burn off 10,000 calories a day during a fun summer's work.
The trick, it seems, is to just do something every day - even only to keep the self-discipline (and mind) maintained, and stop the inevitable procrastination that has a tendency to creep in when pain demands that a body must just lie down.
25
@James Devlin
seems like you have diastasis of Rectus Abdominis. If so, planking can worsen it.
3
After many years of intermittent dieting and painful bouts with hunger, I no longer diet. Daily long walks with my dog definitely helped but the big change came when switching from a mainly vegetarian diet to becoming 100% vegan. Eliminating cheese was the big change. Since that time my weight is stable, without dieting, without effort. Walking still an enjoyable pass time. A vegan diet is key to my good health and the end of self imposed hunger strikes. One other change is I no longer crave junk food like candy and chips.
19
@bill
Yes, but vegans don't eat animal-derived products. Cheese is calorie dense as you say and hard for many people to digest. Ditto for cow's milk. As an elementary teacher of 24 years, the students who had the most colds, ear infections, gas problems were dairy nuts. Mommy and daddy thought cheeses and milk- especially chocolate milk- was just great for chubby little junior. They flipped when chocolate milk was removed from the menu at school. A left-wing conspiracy!
2
I find that the intense, short-duration interval workouts are very effective, and (of course) easier to fit into my schedule.
One nice side-benefit is that I'm much more conscious of what I eat when I'm including exercise in my daily routine.
The problem with me is that after one or two months, I always revert back to my couch potato, snickers bar lifestyle. So I've been losing a lot of weight, and putting it right back on, over & over for the last 7-8 years.
3
@Brian
sell the couch.
9
At age 73 I do three minutes of exercise every day - and that's it. In those three minutes I do 150 push-ups with good form. On a bad day it's 140 and on good days it's 160, 170, 180 and even - once recently - 195. My blood pressure is 110 over 70, my resting pulse is 58, my weight (at 5'9") is 165 and my pants are 33 waist. I'm actually still a little flabby, but not motivated to really control my diet - I eat whatever I want, and what I want is definitely not health food. I take no prescriptions, and all my blood tests are good. Maybe I'm lucky, but I think it's the HIIT. Years ago I used to exercise about an hour a day - 100 pushups (slow and steady), brisk walking, etc. I no longer have the hour a day or the interest to do lengthy cardio exercises. BTW, I hate the daily HIIT; it's three minutes of self-flagellation. But I plan to stick with it as long as I'm able.
19
Imagine the situation that you have to run to catch a bus. Typical responses in three countries/cultures to this common event:
In the UK, running would amount to showing a lack of control, a lack of reserve, and one rather remains solemn and waits for the next bus.
In the US, running would involve the chance that one would fall, would also involve a seeming lack of control. One could even cause an accident, for instance by bumping in someone. One might be sued! So one moves very deliberately under all circumstances. The bus is missed.
In Holland, one goes for it, even the elderly. One is indeed out of breath for a minute or so, but everybody laughs and looks happy after recognizing the situation of having caught the bus.
30
@What'sNew In New York City, running from the bus is running to the end of the line. If others are running we smile as we get on. We do look where we are running.
1
57 year old woman who took up foil fencing almost 2 years ago. Bouts no longer than 3 minutes. At the end of a bout, my heart rate is often in the 140s (my resting heart rate is about 48). Fencing is the ultimate in HIIT.
I've seen my body fat drop about 8 percent (according to the InBody scale at my gym which measures body fat) and my muscle mass increase (I also do a cross-fit type of class which is based in Olympic weight lifting three hours a week).
I never anticipated that fencing would have the kinds of benefits it has for me.
7
If you are overweight, you have to feel hunger for hours a day to lose weight. IT just is what it is. And you can lose weight quickly that way.
The key of course is to not return to your previous eating habits afterwards.
5
@Lefthalfbach
That's one method, but lots of us have lost weight while eating to satiety by avoiding/reducing sugars and grains. For most people, meat and non-starchy vegetables provide the maximum satiety with fewest total calories.
9
@The Pooch
LOL- most of my diet is sugar (lots from fruit) and grains. Also cheddar cheese!
So, for me, hunger is key.
2
@The Pooch:
Today a "healthy" diet can have many forms, and depends on what "ailments" your genetics/lifestyle requires you to manage. It may involve: low-carbohydrates (sugars, starches, milk sugars), low-fat/cholesterols (lean or no meats), increased fiber/roughage (whole grains, fibrous stems, leafy vegetables), or a combination of these.
Avoiding sugars/processed flours is a minimum, especially given that most "foods" on grocery shelves contain processed carbs/bleached flours and high-fructose sweeteners that are very unhealthy (contributing to the diabetes/glycemic epidemic).
However, reducing/eliminating meats from our diet is also important. Meats have the highest amount of energy (calories) for any food, and red meats have the most.
Eating to satiety is harmful if the quantity of our food intake is excessive (large portions or many meals/snacks). It takes time to change our "satiety setpoint" (the amount of food that makes us feel sated, not-hungry). This is essential to controlling and optimizing our nutritional intake.
Only after we've controlled our nutritional intake, does the quantity/type of exercise matter.
If we eat too much, and then exercise too much to burn off those excess calories.... we're slowly destroying our body (both biochemically and skeletally).
5
I'm 80. I exercise 3x per week. An elliptical trainer for 25 minutes, keeping my heart rate between 80%-85% of age-adjusted capacity, followed by 20 weighted leg-lifts and 20 pull-ups. I eat two substantial meals per day, breakfast and dinner.
I'm not concerned with weight loss.
My interest is in the functionality of my body and mind while I remain on this earth.
So far it's working, but one never knows for how long, does one?
28
I'm retired, so I have the luxury of time. My husband and I hike several times per week, including in the winter. I hit our home gym 3x weekly for weights; important for bone density health. 3x weekly also for yoga, for the stretching. As someone else mentioned below, we eat a plant-based diet along with occasional fish, and portion control is important even there. It is rare, usually in a setting where we are guests, that we eat any simple carbs or processed foods, which I view as an absolute poison to the human body. So far, it's working for us.
8
I see too many comments here referring to weight, NOT body fat, which is the subject here.
And far as I've ever known, both in research and in my own experience, th finest activity one can exercise in order to lose weight is pushing oneself away from th dinner table. As far as burning body fat goes, a 90% plus push for a minute or so, roughly two-thirds th way into a distance run, can go a long way into completing a solid workout whether it's 20, 30, or 40 minutes. Just don't forget a slow, patient warmup of 10 to 15 minutes, as well as a good warm-down of jogging then walking for at least 5 minutes or so.
Also, if I could simply recommend utilizing HILLS, both up and down, as an integral component of a personal running program, then that's just about everything 99% of needs.
2
At 55 I've come to find that eating per Michael Pollan's advice (eat food, not too much, mostly plants) and simply getting outside to walk twice a day with my dog, plus twice weekly yoga does the trick. Walk instead of drive whenever possible, and never take elevators. No expensive gym memberships or ugly home exercise equipment necessary. It really is that simple.
27
I am currently rehabbing from a hamstring injury so I can only run a few miles per day. To ensure that I get the 60 minutes of cardio that I prefer I have been adding in 30 minutes of Peloton classes on my home spin bike many of which are HIIT focused. I am enjoying the combination of more intense and more moderate exercise. I love running and I can't wait to get back to running for my whole cardio workout, but I can definitely feel that the HIIT workouts push me in a different way.
2
I have done most any exercise imaginable in my 65 yrs, including running, weightlifting, sports, etc. I now do HIT (weights & body exercises) 2-3 times a week and find it challenging and effective. Along with taking less time, I feel less stress on my joints than thru most other forms of exercise - my muscles are spent but my joins feel actually better after HIT. I highly endorse it (assuming one is healthy enough for the exertion).
I am seventy-six. Here is my mantra: To lose weight it is far more important to eat less than to exercise more.
13
@John Galt
In general you are correct and that gets ever more correct as you get older. When I was in my twenties It certainly wasn't that hard to just double my workout effort for the day (or the next day after the fact) if I knew I was going to consume a lot of calories later. I would also add what you eat can be just as important how much you eat.
1
55 yr old make: My exercise consists of two long walks 2x per week. 16 miles round trip and it takes me about 6 hours. This has helped me lose weight where everything else failed. Yes, it’s a big time commitment but the results are worth it. I do watch my diet but I’m nowhere near as strict as some of my paleo friends.
3
55 yr old MALE typo ugh!
4
They found 36 studies already on the subject? Wow. You'd think after the first dozen they could design an experiment to get real answers, or not get funded.
4
Most H.I.I.T. only leads me to crave H.I.I.E. (High Intensity Interval Eating - like eating a bag of Oreos in under 10 minutes).
113
@Paula D // you are funny. Who would have thought of I.I.E.E. There is some evidence that exercise does increase appetite and for exercise to be associated with weight loss, it must be more than 4 hours per week. so, long hikes and bike rides are needed. But, you do get a fitness response in less time with H.I.I.T. So, my take is practice mostly moderate exercise, with some intensity, some strength training, some core strengthening, some stretching(yoga is nice) and try to get 4 hours or more per week. Less carbs and some ketogenesis(go 14 hours without eating per day) also help..
5
@Paula D You helped me burn some calories just by making me laugh!
4
Strange how the concluding sentence actually contradicts the headline. Strange, and yet so commonplace these days.
9
I love these comments! Much more helpful to me - a 67 year old, moderately overweight woman with lots of body pain. I know I need to move more in winter (summer I move a lot, working around the house) but I despise the cold so I find every excuse not to get to the university gym that I could use for free! With a great pool! So the comments were more helpful to me than this article (drawn to it because of the 'you don't have to do it long' enticement). Thanks to you all!!
12
@Sophia
Sophia: Go to that great pool. It is so good for the body and the spirit. You will make friends there . I use a pool at the Y. Classes are really good for older people as you are tuned up to keep moving by the teacher. I take a 1 hour class 3X a week. The other days I go for at least 30 minutes and swim or do calisthenics. I have a herniated lower disk so I need the low impact help from the water.
Once you are in the habit you mourn when you can't go on Christmas and New Year's !
I have a friend with a Peloton though. She has definitely lost more weight. But I am very toned at age 66 though not slender. My heart rate is very healthy.
5
@Consuelo: Thanks so much for your encouragement. I also have a very bad back, with fused discs. I'm going today!
2
"not surveys or epidemiological data"
I believe you mean "not surveys or observational data". The randomized trials are epidemiological data too.
1
All good, but you can’t outrun a bad diet.
75
So I, a 67 year old woman, decided last September to do what I loved for exercise. I had always loved to tap dance as a kid so I signed up for a once a week lesson. The first two lessons were great, I was so happy, loved it. And then, in the the third week, we tapped in our same location (a school gym) but the gym floor had been polished/refurbished. After the first time I slipped and jarred my back, I complained nicely but the class went on and I stupidly did too, giving it my all and not listening to the voice in my head saying 'stop'. So I slipped again and really, really jarred my bad back and that was the end of my tap dancing. And the young instructor didn't seem to understand at all which was the most annoying part of it all. Such a simple mistake that created suffering instead of fat burning!
4
@sophia I'm 72 and for some years I've kept a distance from "young" instructors. Most of them don't get it about getting older. I wonder if there is a certification for working with the senior clientele...seems like there should be.
2
It must be a slow news day as this article provides us with a weak argument that HIIT is the answer to getting healthy. As the writer points out in the penultimate paragraph: "Of course, even with 1,000 participants, the review remains relatively small. In addition, interpreting the data from individual volunteers can be somewhat baffling. In every study and every exercise program, some people lost more fat than others and some much less, for reasons that remain unclear."
If the reasons remain unclear how can it be positioned as a valid argument for HIIT?
I feel like the writer should conclude the articles with the classic Gilda Radner Rosanne Rosanna Danna line: "Never mind."
3
These kinds of articles are too short and lacking in context to tell the whole story.
Lengthy exercise sessions have more benefits than shorter ones, so focusing on fat-burning is unwise and myopic.
Beyond that, it's what you eat that clogs you up and lays the fat on you.
Eating more calories per day than you burn will add fat.
Eating foods derived from animal cruelty and from the processed artificial, adulterated junk food industries will not just add fat, but also clog your gastrointestinal hydraulics.
Most people eat too much of the wrong kinds of food at the wrong time of the day, and they don't exercise enough.
Food is an addictive drug in our excessive, capitalist consumerist culture.
5
@Steve Davies — historically, it’s not just capitalists who like to eat.
4
@Steve Davies
"Eating more calories than you burn" is a true description, but it does nothing to explain _why_ a person is eating too much in the first place. It's like saying "a room becomes full when more people enter than leave."
2
But it's the food-merchant capitalists who have filled grocery store shelves with cheap empty carbs, added sugar to salad dressing, etc...
1
At 65 years old under the careful supervision of an experienced CrossFit trainer, I started regularly attending a CrossFit gym. I have been active all my life but only sporadically did strength training. Almost a year later, my flexibility, strength and endurance have skyrocketed. My trainer promised that, going into old age, his functional movement program would keep me able to perform all the activities of daily living need for independent living. Little did we know that deadlifting and wall balls would become some of my new favorite activities.
25
20 Min HIIT cycling sessions 3x/week does the job for me.
1
What things do you do EVERY day - 7 days a week?
Setting aside 30 - 40 minutes a day at a moderate rate (with some H.I.I.T) is the best gift you can give yourself and those around you. We all know the many benefits and payoffs. Although I like a gym, it is more practical and cost effective to workout at home. 12 years ago I bought a good used rowing machine (Concept II) for $850 and 10 years ago I bought a simple spinning "bike"(Xterra) $700. Both get used twice a week by my wife and I. I walk fast outdoors the other days. Of course in all of this is our diets. I must remind myself that at 64 I can't eat like a football player any more.
5
I've had good experience with HIIT exercises and have lost weight without changing my eating habits when doing them consistently. My weight loss and improved conditioning did encourage me to adopt healthier eating habits. I don't care for treadmills, ellipticals, running in general unless I'm on an indoor or outdoor track. There is no perfect workout though, it depends on personal preference.
7
I think cutting down on the carbohydrate and exercising moderately is the fastest and best way to lose body fat. I have been a vegan for the past 6 years hoping that by adopting this lifestyle I will lose weight and be healthier, although it has been good but my weight has been a battle until I cut down on the carbs and increased my exercise to about 30 minutes daily 5 times weekly.
7
"A few minutes of brief, intense exercise may be as effective, or more effective, for incinerating body fat than walking, jogging, swimming or cycling for lengthier periods."
Sorry, but that really wasn't what the study showed. And the study was based on meta-data, in my opinion (I'm a physician) some of the worst (and laziest) research published.
All kinds of exercise is good. No exercise is bad. Inertia is the hardest part....getting started. Talking about exercise doesn't do anything.
As you get older (I'm 74), you better be VERY careful about high intensity work-outs. Pulled muscles, tendinitis, and ever stress fractures will set you back WEEKS.
Light exercise, even if it is done just three times a week for 30 minutes, has been scientifically shown to be all you need to keep fit. For the fat, stop eating so much!
200
@doc
Knowledge and wisdom. Wonderful combination, doctor!
I am not a physician, but I still note all the heart attacks, many of them fatal, that befall the middle-aged and older who shovel snow after a heavy snowfall. Shoveling snow likely qualifies as H.I.I.T. I appreciate the doctor's noting the risks to frail musculoskeletal systems, but I wish the article had included some informed caveats on how cardiovascular disease, often undiagnosed, poses a risk for H.I.I.T. as we get older.
7
@doc But you are saying there is in fact bad exercise. Like trying out doing high intensity interval training in your golden years.
The best way to lose weight is to not eat much. Exercise has independent benetits but is not as effective because the amount of exercise required to lose is so great. You have to run 4miles to burn off a Big Mac. Easier to just not eat one.
Of course having a physical job changes the analysis.
26
The bottom line is that if you consume more calories than you burn, you will gain weight. What this weight is made of will depend on how active you are. If you exercise, the weight will be the good stuff; if you just lie in a hammock, it will more likely be fat. The key is to make sure that your calories are mostly from good, nutritious food to make sure you are getting the raw materials you need.
Years ago, I decided to lose some weight. The formula I found was 3500 calories equal one pound. I eliminated two snacks a day, for about 400 calories. I reached my planned loss of 25 pounds within about week of my target date. The dropping of the snacks was the only conscious change I made in diet or exercise.
22
@Marty
Focus on calories ignores why we are hungry for more or less calories in the first place.
2
I've made a mental switch. I work out hard only twice a week. I walk, hike, bike, swim at, least one, every day. It's good for my over all well being to be outdoors and having my body in motion.
Sadly, I love to eat. Controlling my diet is the only thing that keeps my belly flat.
32
The VR game called Beat Saber proves to me that VR games are now and will be in the future excellent ways to get "a few minutes of brief, intense exercise." I'm honestly amazed and the tech is still in its infancy.
1
As I runner for some 40+ years, I cringe when I see articles about the next "new thing" in exercise and weight loss, especially those promising results with limited time commitments or sacrifice.
I realize that not everyone can run 10 miles a day but if weight loss is your primary goal, take a look at the bodies of distance runners.
10
@Gofry And now compare those bodies to bodies of sprinters, who also spend a lot of time in the weight room -- which body would you rather have? I'll take the sprinter's well-muscled, strong body over the typical distance runner's emaciated body every time.
16
@Gofry - I've also been a runner for more than 40 years and although I can't train for serious racing or go more than 5 miles in one workout anymore - without my back rebelling - keeping th *inches* down is what th subject is here. Consistent distance running can both regulate one's body fat and diet. Good eating just naturally coincides with healthy, regular activity.
And as far as having a sprinter's body goes... good luck with that and all the pulled muscles that goes with it.
2
@Gofry
Another 40+ year runner here. If you're built for it and enjoy it, it keeps the weight off, plus encourages you to keep weight gain to a minimum. My dad, also a distance runner, taught me that if you keep an eye on your weight and don't gain more than 5-10 pounds before cutting back on overeating, you'll stay healthier overall.
And as far as the "emaciated body" comment, my whole family is long and lean, whether they're runners, bikers, weightlifters, or do no exercise at all. Why is it still considered politically correct to slam thin people in the age of "body acceptance" (read "obesity epidemic").
5
I have used a rowing machine to do HIT for many years. It is ideal for both HIT as well as endurance exercise. Rowing is intrinsically a mix of isotonic (endurance) and isometric (resistance) exercise that basically exercises all major muscle groups without causing stress on joints. 1/2 hour of 2-5 minute really intense intervals will, I guarantee, make you feel righteous about your exercise approach. Trust me I’m a doctor!
9
@Martin I don't trust doctors per se, but agree.
1
And while in general the message truly is work out how you like, the same is not true when eating. In addition to exercise, one has to be in a caloric deficit to reduce stubborn fat and not just visceral fat. The latter is easier, the former requires more work and less calories.
Call me “old school” but personally I don’t like high intensity training. I do, however, believe it offers many benefits with less time spent. And value this article. Thanks.
4
I’m 72 and if anyone ever calls me an “oldster” I could do them serious physical harm.
I still compete at the national level in my sport, in my age group, and have to exercise a lot to stay in competitive condition. But whether you’re an athlete or not, any good fitness routine will include a variety of activities. This newspaper has published wonderful articles on H.I.I.T. workouts that require only a few minutes. https://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/05/09/the-scientific-7-minute-workout/. If you’re older and new to this kind of exercise, simply start of very modestly and build up over time as your body allows. You’re not competing with anyone. In terms of soreness, some gentle dynamic stretching before and after will reduce that, as will buying an inexpensive muscle roller and massaging the key muscles after exercise. Add to the H.I.I.T some aerobic activity like walking (at varied paces), swimming, biking (can all be done indoors in the winter) and use nothing more than portion control with your eating (assuming you have a sensible diet), and you will find yourself in fine shape, with injury and pain. As another commenter mentions, any of this you can do on a regular basis with others in an informal group or in classes, the more likely you are to stick with it. Remaining fit into your 70s and 80s and beyond is entirely possible and, boy, does it feel great.
11
It's a common mistake and one that folks who've never been competitive athletes make: not differentiating between doing an activity recreationally and doing it as a trained athlete. Swimming is the best example; millions of Americans swim for exercise, doing laps in a pool. Competitive swimming is as different from that as lobbing a basketball underhand up towards the net and saying you're playing basketball is. I was a competitive swimmer for decades; there are few sports that are physically harder or more intense, or that will increase one's heart rate, than fast swimming. The vast majority of people do not have the strength, power, or skills to swim like that. Based on the famous "swimmer's body" -- lean, strong, the "V' shape narrow hips, flat stomach, and broad shoulders and back -- the muscle-building and fat-burning qualities of competitive swimming are undeniable.
8
@Ramsey
Totally agree about the physical benefits of swimming, but it's just too boring an exercise. I swam in high school (but had more fun with the pick-up water polo games we'd play), then left it in college for jogging and the gym.
Next up, cycling. Far more interesting in that you can look around and enjoy the world, and it's as aerobically beneficial as swimming and as easy on the body (the bicycle frame supports you the way water does). However, you do need to balance cycling with weights for upper body benefits.
5
At age 70, I enjoy HIIT in the pool at my gym. The instructor keeps track of the time and shows us which exercise to do at high intensity followed by a low intensity exercise. Generally 30 seconds high, 20 seconds low for a total of about 15 minutes.
Exercising in the pool keeps my joints and muscles moving while avoiding injuries.
Weight loss is primarily a function of what you eat, and drink!
6
Exercise has many benefits and daily workouts should be on everyone's agenda, even if for only 15 minutes.
However, the only way you will lose significant weight is through changes in your diet. Stop eating the wrong foods -- sugar and refined carbohydrates, bread, pizza, pasta, rice, desserts, sodas, candy -- and start eating the right foods -- less carbs, more dietary fat, less protein.
There's an old saying -- "you can't out-exercise your mouth".
Believe it.
54
Another oldster chiming in. Put aside the fact that I have stopped worrying at this age whether there is some "excess" body fat residing at certain places on my body. I was endomorphic at 14, and I am still endomorphic at 64. Even an endomorphic waist at my thinnest -- and I am generally at an appropriate BMI and weight and have been during most of that time.
But a 40 minute swim can have meditational qualities. You start cold and feel yourself warm up and then run very smoothly for the remainder, with an occasional spurt if and when I want. There is a prolonged endorphin release while my cardiovascular system operates at a substantially elevated rate without needlessly approaching the maximum rate, which leaves me dizzy and unhealthfully unsteady. Minimal risk of skeletal and muscular strain. And the joy of being in water, with its ineffable silence, coupled by the peaceful rhythm of your breathing and movement.
There is Zen, and there is the antithesis of Zen. Striving to minimize body fat is the latter. Achieving balance without striving is my choice.
161
@WRW Beautifully explained. This can apply to long runs as well... pace, rhythm, getting lost in deep thoughts while the running happens almost unconsciously after the aches in the 65 yo body melt away in the same way that the initial cool in the water dissipates.
30
@Neal Monteko Oh, the 5 mile run at 5am before the hustle and bustle of a city awakening. Or a run in the still dark, quiet morning after a freshly fallen snow. My skeleton won't tolerate jogging anymore, but yes, those are among my favorite memories of the run and exercise.
37
@WRW I completely agree. For me any activity in nature fulfills much more than fitness. Now, if only the rec center would warm the water in the pool even just 2 more degrees, I would get back to swimming.
8
One good thing about getting older is you can run a bit slower than when you were younger to get good results!
10
I'm puzzled why the higher stress induced by HIIT on muscles and joints--and the resulting higher incidence of acute and chronic injury--is never considered an issue in evaluating the benefits. There is a clear cost. Or are participants who drop-out with tendonitis excluded from the final tally--instead of being listed as a weight gainer after spending the balance of the study chugging anti-inflammatories?
52
Hm. I’ve been doing high intensity interval training for 16 years without a single injury.
1
The best workout is the one you'll do... pick something fun and remind yourself you enjoy it when you want to blow it off.
201
@br Absolutely. I love my Nordic-walking routine: a 6 or a 9 mile loop on the Minuteman bike path, 3-4 times a week (weather dependent) at a 4 mph +/- clip, adjusting my pace to the music tracks on my playlist.
I also do strength/resistance at the gym 2 times a week as well. The gym is also special/unique: owned and run by a family of physical therapists, targeted at men over 40, women, those in rehab and seniors. Again, just a great vibe so I enjoy my workouts on a social level too.
17
Is "burning fat" a euphemism for losing weight? If so, I think that the major consideration is portion size of amounts of food consumed, eating less in general, and making mindful choices (planning, preparing, cooking, and bringing food with you). This is 80 percent or more of the work of losing and maintaining weight. Exercise helps me manage stress and depression; it helps to keep me sane, focused, and strong. HIIT exercise is great two-three times a week, and it's easier for most to do in a class with an instructor and count-down timer. Most people can't go as hard as you need to on their own. You also have to be in fairly good shape to do HIIT. HIIT also often includes weights. It's good to do other exercises like running, walking in nature, and yoga to further build your strength, balance, and endurance. But HIIT alone does not really burn much fat. Many people overeat for emotional reasons, so exercise will help your mind to manage the emotions that lead to obesity, but I don't actually think that exercise is the main cause of weight loss. People have to both exercise and diet, with the major focus on reducing the amount of food they are eating, and not going many hours with no food due to lack of planning, and then binging on anything within reach or drive-through, the American way.
58
@Dr. Conde
You point out the difference between losing WEIGHT and losing FAT, which is important. Depending on your BMI and weight it may be OK for you to lose fat but not weight. There are people who are not even clinically overweight but who have very high body fat percentages, and people who have both a lot of fat AND muscle and really only "need" to lose fat.
Most of the time, unless a person is very obese, when people speak about "losing weight" what they really mean is losing fat. If you can maintain the same weight on the scale but go from 40% to 18% body fat you've done yourself a HUGE favor without having to reduce your basal metabolic rate (BMR). One of the most challenging things about losing WEIGHT (as opposed to fat) is that you have to continuously reduce your caloric intake because your BMR is going down.
There is also the issue that the body can do many things with excess calories, and only one of them is storing that energy as fat. Look at Hugh Jackman. To train for the most recent wolverine movie he consumed over 5000 kcal a day. But he didn't get fat. There is a huge role for hormones that is rarely discussed, and your body can take excess calories and use them for energy immediately, form more muscle, or store it as fat. If you are getting heavier but the weight gain is all muscle, that's usually a GOOD thing!
12
@Dr. Conde
As you lose weight, by eating less or eating better foods, you will lose fat but you'll also lose muscle. That's where exercise comes in- to help maintain the muscle. But just which exercise will help you lose the most fat is the holy grail of the exercise world. It also may not matter as long as you do something.
3
Dr. Conde, one small correction. You don’t have to already be in good shape to do HIIT. Cardiac patients who have to take rest breaks to get from the doctor’s office to the car are doing HIIT. They go until they can’t, take a rest to huff and puff and get their heart rate back down, then continue. That’s HIIT. It’s just done in slow motion, in accordance with their physical condition.
1
Best advice for weight loss: put the cupcake down. Caloric restriction is the key.
Best advice for heart health: move (walk, dance, or jog) every day in a way that you enjoy, so that you keep it up.
271
@CAR
Caloric intake is important but so is the macronutrient content of what you eat. For sure putting down the cupcake - due to its sugar content - will help you lose weight. But there are some foods that you can pretty much eat as much as you want and your body is extremely unlikely to store those calories as far (eg grilled chicken breast).
5
@CAR
Not just the cupcakes but watch those meat and potatoes, rice and beans, bread and cheese...
Any activity better than none for the heart, of course, but best IMO are exercises which stress the muscles. The heart being a muscle, the best exercise would be HIIT-type stuff that stresses it and causes it to grow bigger and stronger over time.
1
@Ben
This is incorrect. If you eat too many calories your body will store them as fat. This is true whether you are eating cupcakes or chicken breast.
CAR, your advice is correct; losing fat is best achieved through managing calorie consumption, not exercise.
21
I believe in the benefits of HIIT or SIT vs. typical "moderate" aerobic exercise (relatively speaking, because moderate exercise is clearly still good). I am perplexed by the unattributed conclusion that a 1 lb difference in fat loss - 3.5 vs 2.5 pounds - is "negligible." Is that the conclusion of the study? Doesn't that depend on the time period of the fat loss? If it was just one month (the minimum), that seems like a significant difference. And, in a world where we study the benefits of "fidgeting" for weight loss, it seems like an illogical statement, to boot.
6
@vt chef
At 76, I have included intense interval training in my regular exercise routine for over 45 years. Once or twice a week I run short, fast intervals, typically quarter miles, on a track, with a minute or two of walking in between.
My times have gotten longer, but the effort required, leading to close to maximum heart rate, continues. My maximum observed heart rate, around 175, has not changed in years. So far, no adverse physical affects, and it still feels great to "fly" around the track.
5
Let's review. The differences between aerobic and high intensity exercise are negligible when it comes to weight loss, according to the concluding remarks of the article.
Here are a couple thoughts not found in the article. High intensity exercise may put your heart at risk because the heart rate soars closer to it's maximum ability of beating. This can have catastrophic results if you are older, or out of shape. Secondly, can you maintain an exercise program long term where the effort is gruelling and uncomfortable, versus the aerobic pace where the exercise is more relaxing and easier? Which would you choose for the long haul in controlling weight loss? Shouldn't that kind of information on high intensity exercise be part of any article written on it's virtues? And finally, are we professional athletes, or serious olympians that need high intensity workouts to succeed; or are we just normal people who are trying to maintain good health and a decent sized body? The usefulness of high intensity exercise information is overrated for almost anyone reading a newspaper.
78
@Fred
It's not necessary to go from zero to a hundred when embarking on a HIIT program. Anyone choosing this path should know how to pace themselves, especially at the outset. I am 62 and have been doing HIIT as part of my morning routine for more than 5 years now. I find it not "gruelling" but pleasantly invigorating to get my heart beating and body thoroughly warmed up in the early part of the day. And frankly, I would have trouble finding a daily time slot for a longer exercise routine
20
For many “oldsters,” the enthusiasm for high intensity training is often diminished by the effects of an intense workout on, as mentioned the heart (presumably general cardiovascular concerns—stroke—as well), knees, hips, and backs. I have never seen a single article on intense training that deals with how “oldsters” need to approach intense work out regimes. Would be terribly useful for those of us for who “all out exertion” leave behind painful joints and backs.
47
@Mike
I agree with you.. being an "oldster" myself just
walking at a good rate for me seems to work.. but not enough research has been done on older adults.
14