For some of us, fitting in exercise around a busy life just doesn’t seem possible. Winding down after a hectic day at work by going to… the gym? No thanks.
Of course, though, regular exercise is essential for our health and wellbeing and whenever we can fit in a workout, we’re doing good for our bodies. Even if it’s just going for a walk.
However, a study released last year found that lifting weights for literally three seconds improved people’s health and fitness. Three. Seconds.
During the study, scientists worked with healthy, young volunteers and their request was simple: do one three-second bicep contraction two or three days a week for four weeks. That’s it.
Those who did it two days a week showed little to no change but those who did it for three days a week got stronger and their strength in weight lifting improved by an average of 2.5%. When it came to lowering a weight, their strength increased by 3.9%.
Again, three seconds.
Any amount of exercise is good
Lead researcher Professor Ken Nosaka said the results showed people didn’t need to spend a lot of time exercising to improve muscle strength, saying, “Many people think you have to spend a lot of time exercising, but it’s not the case. Short, good quality exercise can still be good for your body and every muscle contraction counts.”
Basically, even those of us who are time poor can see improvements in our strength and fitness by doing the smallest amount of exercise.
According to Nosaka, this study could show promise for the entire body.
“We haven’t investigated other muscles yet, but if we find the three-second rule also applies to other muscles then you might be able to do a whole-body exercise in less than 30 seconds,” he said.
He added that this method also will ensure that you don’t get sore afterwards which is a huge bonus for many of us!
Happy lifting!