Do I have to train for an hour?

Published: March 22. 2012 4:00AM PST

Ever wonder if you’re really making the best use of your workout? With the help of a local expert, we’ll uncover five common fitness myths in a five-part, weekly series. What you learn could change the way you exercise.

Myth #1: You have to train for an least an hour in order to benefit from the exercise.

Fact: You don’t have to train much more than 20 to 30 minutes if you are doing high-intensity interval training, which consists of short, hard bursts of effort interspersed with short periods of rest. For example, in what’s known as a Tabata workout, named after researcher Izumi Tabata, an aerobically and anaerobically taxing workout lasts only minutes: eight sets of 20 seconds of hard work, each followed by 10 seconds of rest.

Best practice: Perform six to eight exercises, three to five times, at 85-90 percent of your maximum intensity with no rest between each exercise and one minute of rest between each set.

Source: Sloane Anderson, personal trainer at Anytime Fitness and TRX Suspension instructor at the Athletic Club of Bend

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