JABAR EKSPRES – A study suggests exercising for just three seconds three times a week can make you stronger. Scientists asked young volunteers to perform one three-second biceps contraction, either two or three days a week for four weeks.
As quoted from the Mirror page, Tuesday (8/22/2023), the study found that the arms of those who exercised twice a week showed no change.
However, the three times a week group became stronger. Their strength in lifting weights rose by an average of 2.5 percent. If they lost weight, their strength increased by 3.9 percent.
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“Our work has shown that regular, short bursts of exercise are more beneficial than one or two big training sessions a week,” said study leader Prof Kazunori Nosaka from Australia’s Edith Cowan University.
“Now, we have a clearer idea of where the tipping point is where you start to see meaningful benefits from minimal exercise,” he continued.
Nosaka further added that muscle adaptation occurs when we rest, so muscles need rest to increase their strength and muscle mass.
“It should be noted that the exercise was only three seconds, so the rest between exercises in the study was close to 28,800 times more than the exercise time. But the muscle seems to be stimulated more frequently, especially for small volumes of muscle-strengthening exercises,” he explains.
Nosaka acknowledges that for some people, 20 minutes of exercise a day is impossible and states that just five minutes a day can make a difference.
“Of course, more research is needed to confirm this, but our latest research shows the importance of accumulating small amounts of exercise as often as possible in a week,” he explains.
“It is important to note that even very small amounts of exercise can make a difference to our bodies, if done regularly,” she added.
