Three minutes of exercise a week is all you need. I know it sounds TOO good to be true, but please just humor me and read on. For some, it's three to four hours. For you, it's three minutes. That's all you need to be in solid physical shape, according to researchers. They say 30-second bursts of intense exercise delivers the same results as hours in the gym. The results are being called "ground breaking" and will lead to conventional medical textbooks on exercise being torn up.

So why do short bursts of energy do just as much as long a long exercise session? Scientists aren't exactly sure, but they think it may have something to do with the ravenous appetite that is built up during many hours in the gym. The same appetite is not as demanding after a short burst workout.



Here's how it works:

  • Stretch and warmup for a few minutes.
  • Go 80 to 90% of flat-out for 30 seconds.
  • Rest up to a minute
  • Repeat two more time