vic_runner
Joined: 19 Mar 2008
Posts: 78
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 Posted: Mon Jun 09, 2008 5:14 pm Post subject: Brief, intense exercise benefits the heart |
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Here is an interesting article I came across about speedwork. Well, it's really about recovery, but other people are touting it as helping the notion that speedwork makes you faster:
*Brief, intense exercise benefits the heart*
June 04, 2008
Short bursts of high intensity sprints -- known to benefit muscle and
improve exercise performance—can improve the function and structure of
blood vessels, in particular arteries that deliver blood to our muscles
and heart, according to new research from McMaster University.
The study, lead by kinesiology doctoral student Mark Rakobowchuk, is
published online in the journal American Journal of Physiology.
Regulatory, Integrative & Comparative Physiology.
The findings support the idea that people can exercise using brief,
high-intensity forms of exercise and reap the same benefits to
cardiovascular health that can be derived from traditional,
long-duration and moderately intense exercise.
"As we age, the arteries become stiffer and tend to lose their ability
to dilate, and these effects contribute to high blood pressure and
cardiovascular disease," says Maureen MacDonald, academic advisor and an
associate professor in the Department of Kinesiology. "More detrimental
is the effect that blood vessel stiffening has on the heart, which has
to circulate blood".
The research compared individuals who completed interval training using
30-second "all-out" sprints three days a week to a group who completed
between 40 and 60 minutes of moderate-intensity cycling five days a week.
It found that six weeks of intense sprint interval exercise training
improves the structure and function of arteries as much as traditional
and longer endurance exercise with larger time commitment.
"More and more, professional organizations are recommending interval
training during rehabilitation from diseases like chronic obstructive
pulmonary disease, peripheral artery disease and cardiovascular disease.
Our research certainly provides evidence that this type of exercise
training is as effective as traditional moderate intensity training,"
says MacDonald. "We wouldn't be surprised to see more rehabilitation
programs adopt this method of training since it is often better
tolerated in diseased populations".
Further, this research also shows that those who have a hard time
scheduling exercise into their life can still benefit from the positive
effects, if they are willing to work hard for brief periods of time, she
says.
Source: McMaster University
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