Users were asked to “challenge themselves” during Swedish Gymnastics, performing as many exercises as they could in one minute, before walking in place, then moving on to the next exercise.
After six weeks, all volunteers returned to the lab for follow-up testing. And, unsurprisingly, users were in better shape, having increased their endurance by about 7 percent on average. The power in their legs had also increased slightly. The physical condition and strength of the control group remained unchanged.
“It was good to see our expectations confirmed,” said Martin Gibala, professor of kinesiology at McMaster University, who oversaw the new study and, with various collaborators, published influential studies on intense interval training. in the past.
“It seemed obvious” that this kind of training had to be effective, he says. But “we now have proof” that brief, basic bodyweight training “can make a significant difference” in fitness, he says.
The study was small and fairly short-term, however, and looked at the effects only in healthy young people who are able to perform burpees and jump squats. “Some people may need to replace” some of the exercises, says Dr. Gibala, especially anyone who has problems with joint pain or balance. (See the 7 Minute Standing Workout for examples of suitable substitutions, in this case.)
But whatever Swedish gymnastics mix you settle into, “the key is to push yourself a little bit” during every one-minute interval, he says.
Here’s the full 11-minute workout used in the study, with video links to each exercise by Linda Archila, a researcher who led the experiment while a student at McMaster University.
-
1 minute of easy jumping to warm up
-
1 minute of modified burpees (without push-ups)
-
1 minute walk on site
-
1 minute of knee high running in place
-
1 minute walk on site
-
1 minute of split squat jumps (starting and ending in a lunge position, alternating which leg lands forward)
-
1 minute walk on site
-
1 minute kneeling race on site
-
1 minute walk on site
-
1 minute of squatting jumps
-
1 minute walk on site, to cool off
