Essentially the idea is to use high intensity interval training to pack more into shorter sessions and so maximise benefits. Those leading the research such as Prof James Timmons at Nottingham University and Dr Martin Gibala at McMaster University, Ontario, believe that as little as three minutes of highly intensive exercise per week over a relatively short space of time can produce significant improvements in fitness and result in weight loss that is, at the very least, out of proportion to the amount of time invested.
Dr Giles Warrington, the chair of the Sports Science and Health Programme at Dublin City University as well as a base camp team manager with the Irish Olympic team in London, is positive about the research and, having seen the potential benefits to elite athletes, how it might apply to the wider population. “There is a growing body of evidence to show that the hit can have significant benefits for the sedentary population as well,” he says.