Hi I’m Wendy Zukerman and you're listening to Science Vs from Gimlet…
A lot of us have been staying inside for weeks now… and, for me, it’s been weird at times, but I'm kind of getting used to it. But one thing that is tricky - even for those that still have to go to into work right now - is getting exercise[1] … gyms are closed[2] ... and a lot of people are nervous about going outside to work out … So I called up Rose Rimler, our producer, to ask her how she’s handling it ...
Are you still going for runs?
No no, I was for the first week or two, after quarantine, then I just stopped it's just so hard to actually dodge people and stay 6 feet apart from other people in the sidewalk in Brooklyn,and usually going for a run would make me feel more relaxed, but but now it's like playing a game of frogger and like extremely, it's stressing me out I just quit
WZ: How are you feeling about it
RR: It's a total bummer, because now I feel even more cooped up, and I keep saying that I'll wake up early and I’ll go really early in the morning when no one is out - but I never seem to be able to do that
WZ: Um so I actually the other day I did wake up early to go for a run, for this exact reason, and it totally backfired, I went outside, and it was this beautiful spring day and they birds were tweeting, then I started to get a bad period pain in the middle of the run and I was like oh no… I know this worst part about it, I knew on the time of covid, once people started populating the street - everyone would think that I was sick with Covid…because at this point I was keeling over like I could… and I had to sit on the floor.and it must have looked like I was out of breath - and I was trying to indicate its that it's the lower region… like I can breathe properly
RR How are you indicating that?
WZ I was pressing on my ovaries as hard as possible - the problem is down here… it's down here!! And this guy in a truck rolls down his window… are you ok ma’am? and I was like it's fine it's just period pain
RR: haha
WZ: Given all this, given how hard it is to do exercise we, at Science Vs, wanted to revisit this MINI episode that we did about the 7 minute work out which is a work out that you can do from home…And there are all these promises that people say about this work out
RR: Yeah people say it can help you lose weight[3], it can help you gain muscles[4], that it can boost your energy[5], and even help you live longer[6].
WZ: And I was so skeptical because it's only 7 minutes and people said it could do all these amazing things. It had all the hallmarks of being an ultimate fad. But is it? We read the science… and of course I had to try it
RR: Yeah it feels like just yesterday I was coaching you through the 7 minute workout at the Gimlet Office, back when we would go to the office, and back when you and I could be in the same room together.
They were crazy times… so we're going to play that for you after the break
...
BREAK
Welcome back. With a lot of us stuck at home - looking for ways to do exercise -- it can be hard to imagine that popping on our joggers for a little work out at home would do anything for our body… like it doesn’t feel worth it. But is that true? To help answer that question. Here’s our episode on the 7-minute workout.
ugh
RR it doesn't sound like you're in the mood to work out
WZ no i'm not i'm in the mood to be a whinger
RR there’s no whinging allowed in the 7 minute work out there’s simply no time…
OK. Rose is now going to walk me through the original 7 minute workout. Get your headbands out!
<< music>>
RR So all you need is the floor, the wall, and a chair [7].
WZ Ok
RR The first thing you’re gonna do is jumping jacks[8]
WZ Star jumps as we call them in Australia
RR That’s crazy but ok. Star jumps, wall sit, pushups, situps, step-ups, squats, tricep dip, plank, running in place, lunges, push up with rotation, side plank.
WZ: OK
RR Are you gonna give it your best shot
WZ I am gonna give it my best shot
Here’s the catch… giving the 7 min work out your best shot means you have to go at what’s called “high intensity”... this is no casual jog.. You’ve got to go hard. And there’s a handy test with a stamp of approval from the CDC that lets you know if you’re going hard enough[9]. Here’s Rose again.
RR: So for high intensity you should not be able to have an easy going conversation. You should not be able to sing.
WZ Ohhhh okay, so we need to get to the point where I’m huffing and puffing and not singing journey…
RR GO! Star jumps
WZ ok. Just a lonely girl so I’m not going fast enough
RR Well could you do star jumps any faster
<<huffing and start jump sound>>
You look like the curtain things at a car wash
WZ Thank you
So...while I put myself through this...let’s talk to an expert...to find out if this 7 minute workout… does anything?
Ring ring!
JC Hello Jeff speaking
WZ Hi jeff speaking
JC Hi Wendy laughter
Jeff Coombes is a professor at the University of Queensland in Australia[10] . He’s been studying exercise since the 90s[11] and has helped write a few reviews rounding up the research on short[12][13][14] intense workouts, like the 7 minute workout. So… my first question for him is about…, one of the most common reasons people do any exercise: to lose weight[15][16][17][18]…
WZ Can it help you lose weight?
JC Unfortunately the answer is no, that amount of exercise is not going to burn enough calories to make a big difference.
Yeah, this weight loss claim is a bit of a crock. Although a few studies have found that some people see a little bit of weight loss on this kind of work out[19][20][21], [22][23][24]. Exercise just generally speaking… isn’t great for losing weight. Sorry...weight is more about what you put in than what you put out[25].
Ok so the 7 minute workout isn't great for weight loss... but what about those other promises? That the 7-minute workout can make you fitter and healthier? Well… Jeff says…yes. It actually can.
JC Definitely the 7 minute workout is going to make you stronger[26], make your bones better, make your heart function better
WZ: Really?
JC Yes. And if you can enjoy it, and you keep doing it, then it’s certainly going to be effective
I was really surprised… but there are a bunch of studies that show that short, high-intensity workouts are really good for you. They can improve the health of your heart, lungs and even your sensitivity to insulin, which can help[27][28] prevent diabetes[29],[30],[31],[32],[33]
So the science is telling us that short intense workouts are really good for you -- and while it is very tricky to compare different kinds of workouts - Jeff reckons you’re probably better off working really hard for just 7 minutes than doing something easier for 20 minutes, something like walking. [34],[35],[36].[37]
JC Exactly. If you want to get the most out of your work out then a 7 minute workout is going to be better for you[38]
But how is this possible? How can just 7 minutes of exercise be so good for you?? Well, scientists have known for a long time that exercise trains your body to be more efficient at doing a bunch of things: like using oxygen, sending blood around the body and regulating your blood sugar[39][40]. And scientists used to think that the best way to trigger these changes was to exercise for longer - so the more you exercise you do, the more benefit you get. It’s only recently that we discovered that you don’t have to work out for that long to get these benefits… as long as you work hard enough…at high intensity
RR Last chance to try journey
RR Just a small town girl
WZ Living…
RR Living in a lonely world … all right, done
RR That was the 7 minute work out How do you feel?
WZ pooped…That was actually quite a good workout…
Ok… but there is a little bit of fad in this 7 minute workout,… And that is this: There is nothing special about doing this exact routine… [41][42][43]… or working for exactly 7 minutes … studies have looked at different high-intensity workouts, for different lengths of time… and all kinds of things work[44]. So for example, one study found that people doing several minutes of cycling -- with these short bursts of pedaling as fast as they could -- well, they improved about as much as a group that cycled at a more relaxed pace for 45 minutes[45]. A couple minutes...vs 45 ... Kind of amazing, right? But remember here … the key is to work hard. No singing.
That’s Science Vs the 7 minute workout
So that was our episode from over a year ago… from the before times… and these days … Rose says it’s really come in handy for her …
RR: so when I stopped running in new york I knew that I had this alternative, that I’d already tried and I liked. I'm doing it most mornings. I get up and I do the 7 minute workout.
WZ: Oh wow!
RR: Yeah it's good it's not like a run, but it is something.
If you want more details on the 7 Minute workout, look in our show notes… And also if you want to know more about the science of exercise… head over to our Science Vs Exercise episode. We'll put a link in our show notes. And we'll be back on Thursday tackling the great gerbil crisis. No. We'll be back with more science on the Coronavirus.
This episode was produced by Rose Rimler with help from me, Wendy Zukerman, along with Meryl Horn and Odelia Rubin. Our senior producer is Kaitlyn Sawrey. We’re edited by Blythe Terrell. Fact checking by Michelle Harris. Mix and sound design by Emma Munger. Music written by Emma Munger and Bobby Lord. Recording assistance from Jack McDonnell. For this episode we also spoke to Martin Gibala, Chris Jordan, Kathryn Weston, Dan Schmidt, and others. Thank you so much for your help.
I’m Wendy Zukerman. Fact you next time.
[2] March 16 USA Today story: “The coronavirus pandemic has prompted the closure of fitness clubs across the nation, with popular spots — from Orangetheory, SoulCycle, LA Fitness, Gold's Gym and Equinox — announcing closures.”
[5]https://www.bustle.com/p/whats-the-best-workout-to-help-you-wake-up-in-the-morning-the-scientific-7-minute-workout-can-give-you-a-surprising-boost-10077161
[6]https://www.theladders.com/career-advice/doing-the-science-backed-7-minute-workout-daily-can-actually-add-years-to-your-life
[8]https://journals.lww.com/acsm-healthfitness/Fulltext/2013/05000/HIGH_INTENSITY_CIRCUIT_TRAINING_USING_BODY_WEIGHT_.5.aspx
[9] The talk test is a simple way to measure relative intensity. In general, if you're doing moderate-intensity activity you can talk, but not sing, during the activity. If you're doing vigorous-intensity activity, you will not be able to say more than a few words without pausing for a breath. https://www.cdc.gov/physicalactivity/basics/measuring/index.html . The CDC defines “vigorous” intensity as “70 to 85% of his or her maximum heart rate” which is similar to a common definition of “high” intensity, e.g. “The Norwegian studies used a heart rate of between 85% and 95% for the high-intensity interval”
[10] https://researchers.uq.edu.au/researcher/908
[11] https://scholar.google.com/citations?hl=en&user=kRVokioAAAAJ&view_op=list_works&sortby=pubdate; https://researchers.uq.edu.au/researcher/908
[12] https://bjsm.bmj.com/content/48/16/1227
[13] https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s40279-015-0321-z: However, the variability in the secondary outcome measures, coupled with the small sample sizes in these studies, limits this finding
[14] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5790162/ Studies comprised participants who were diagnosed with CAD (myocardial infarction [MI], percutaneous intervention [PCI], or coronary artery bypass surgery [CABG]) who engaged in HIIT (eg, ≥85% VO2 peak or ≥85% heart-rate reserve [HRR] or ≥90% heart-rate max [HRM] interspersed with lower level exercise) versus MICT (50–75%VO2 peak or 50–75% HRR or 50–80% HRM) interventions, in an outpatient setting for at least 4 weeks
[15] Factor analysis indicated that, with minor modifications, the instrument has an internally consistent structure with four factors of Appearance/Weight Management, Fitness/Health Management, Stress/ Mood Management, and Socializing.
[16] Overall, health motives for losing weight were rated higher than were appearance reasons for losing weight,
[17] The majority of women reported that they exercised to get or stay fit (77.0%). Losing weight (29.6%), unwinding (22.2%), socializing (18.2%) and having fun (17.8%) followed as the most common motives among women
[19] https://www.nature.com/articles/0803781: HIIE three times per week for 15 weeks compared to the same frequency of SSE exercise was associated with significant reductions in total body fat, subcutaneous leg and trunk fat, and insulin resistance in young women [[table 1 -- loss of 1.5 kg on average]]
[21] When compared with MICT, however, HIIT Diabetologia provides no additional benefit as an exercise therapy for weight loss [7].” but… “It remains unclear whether HIIT is superior to MICT for fat loss, with some studies supporting this notion [14, 36, 46] and some not [34, 35, 41, 45, 78]. To date, evidence to support HIIT over other types of exercise for the management of body fat levels is unfounded, but there is enough proof to suggest that HIIT can induce positive changes in body composition in adults with common metabolic diseases. http://sci-hub.tw/https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s00125-016-4106-1
[23] there was no difference in weight loss following HIIT compared with CT overall (WMD = 0.32, −0.17, 0.81, P = 0.20; Supporting Information Fig. S6.3). As expected, a similar pattern of changes was observed for BMI http://sci-hub.tw/https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/obr.12317
There was a significant reduction of 1.3 kg in body weight compared with the non-exercising control group, an effect largely observed in those described as overweight, obese, with, or at risk of type 2 diabetes.
[24] A 2019 study from India of 56 overweight sedentary workers that showed "a marked reduction in the Body Mass Index" from the 7 min workout
[26] 2016 study: “These results suggest that short duration, high intensity circuit training may improve muscle endurance in moderately fit populations.”
[27] Compared with baseline, there was a 0.30 L min−1 increase in VO2max with HIIT (0.25–0.35, P < 0.001; Supporting Information Fig. S7.1). This increase was similar in comparison to CON (WMD = 0.28, 0.12–0.44, P = 0.001; Supporting Information Fig. S7.2) and attenuated but still significant when compared to [continuous training.] http://sci-hub.tw/https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/obr.12317
[28] Definition of VO2max: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17218891 “VO2max is a valid index measuring the limits of the cardiorespiratory systems' ability to transport oxygen from the air to the tissues at a given level of physical conditioning and oxygen availability.”
[29] With all models of insulin resistance standardized for between-group comparisons, there was a significant reduction in insulin resistance compared with both [control and continuous training] groups … The results of this meta-analysis suggest that HIIT is effective at improving measures of insulin resistance compared with continuous exercise and a non-exercising control group….Our study suggests that HIIT may reduce insulin resistance compared to both continuous exercise training and control conditions. http://sci-hub.tw/https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/obr.12317 but note: “Larger randomized controlled trials of longer duration than those included in this meta-analysis are required to
confirm these results.”
[30] http://sci-hub.tw/https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0154075: . Insulin sensitivity index (CSI), determined by intravenous glucose tolerance tests performed before and 72 hours after training, increased similarly after SIT (4.9±2.5 to 7.5±4.7, p = 0.002) and MICT (5.0±3.3 to 6.7±5.0 x 10−4 min-1 [μU/mL]-1, p = 0.013) (p<0.05)
[31] http://sci-hub.tw/https://bjsm.bmj.com/content/48/16/1227#: IIellamo et al27 found no significant differences in the metabolic profile (lipids, homeostasis model assessment-insulin resistance (HOMA-IR)), with the exception of an improvement in fasting glucose with HIIT.
[33] 2019 study: “Obtained data revealed that HICT improved an insulin sensitivity and diminished myostatin concentration among older, insulin-resistant women with lower baseline physical capacity.”
[34] “A common approach to compare the HIIT and MICT sessions is to match the energy expenditure, resulting in the HIIT session being shorter.” http://sci-hub.tw/https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24144531
[35] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/26243014 “When compared with endurance training, there was a possibly small beneficial effect for HIT”
[36] HIIT significantly increases CRF by almost double that of MICT in patients with lifestyle-induced chronic diseases. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24144531
[37] Seventeen studies, involving 953 participants (465 for HIIT and 488 for MICT) were included in the analysis. HIIT was significantly superior to MICT in improving cardiorespiratory fitness overall
[38] I did talk about the advantages of doing strength training (that is in the ‘7 minute workout’) compared to aerobic based exercise (which I think you could assume is what is being meant by longer and lazier) – perhaps give an example – a 20 minute walk at a slow pace. [email]
[40] . “Physical activity also seems to improve the body's ability to use insulin by decreasing insulin resistance” insulin resistance defined as “The person's body may not be producing enough insulin to meet their needs, so some glucose can't get into the cells. Glucose remains in the bloodstream, causing high blood glucose levels.”
[41] In the high-intensity interval walking training group, isometric knee extension increased by 13%, isometric knee flexion by 17%, peak aerobic capacity for cycling by 8%, and peak aerobic capacity for walking by 9% (all, P<.001), all of which were significantly greater than the increases observed in the moderate-intensity continuous walking training group (all, P<.01). https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0025619611613037
[42] Seven studies used uphill walking/running on a treadmill as the primary exercise modality.20–22 25–27 31 One study described the exercise undertaken as ‘treadmill walking’; therefore, the differences in heart rate between intervals could have been achieved either through a change in speed or a change in incline.22 http://sci-hub.tw/https://bjsm.bmj.com/content/48/16/1227
[44] 2018 study from Egypt: “The exercises to be performed are very varied, including activities such as running or cycling, and also "static" exercises such as squats, jumps, pull-ups, push-ups.”