#082 The Science of Vigorous Exercise From VO2 Max to Time Efficiency of HIIT | Martin Gibala, Ph.D.

I think you can do more vigorous or high-intensity exercise for shorter periods of time and at least see similar improvements in VO2 max. So, for the individual who is time pressed, I don't there think there's a need to do 3-4 hours of what I understand to be zone 2 training weekly in order to maximize improvements in VO2 max...

We're encouraging people to do at least 4 or 5 times a day of those snacks. So, we define an exercise snack as less than or equal to 1 minute of vigorous intensity exercise. It could be jumping on a stationary bike. It could be a series of air squats or body weight style exercise.

The other thing I think we need to remember about VO2 max is the greatest gains are with the smaller changes in fitness ... The greatest bang for your buck is just getting out of that low range.

One of the reasons why exercise is therapeutic in the treatment of high blood sugar or diabetes... is you increase glucose transport capacity on the cell membrane ... It allows more glucose to be moved into the muscle, maybe then stored as muscle glycogen, and that helps to lower the blood sugar levels, especially if they're chronically high.

People who engaged in even 3-4 minutes total a day of VILPA-like activity had substantial reductions in all-cause mortality risks. We're talking 25-30%. So, that would suggest that even brief, non-exercise, vigorous intermittent physical activity can move the needle in terms of health outcomes.

The best evidence... is about an 80/20 split there is sort of the ideal mix or ratio to optimize endurance performance. So, about 80% low to moderate intensity type training and 20% high-intensity training, much of it including interval training.

Having a higher cardiorespiratory fitness is associated with a reduction in all-cause mortality (dying from all causes) as well as developing many different chronic diseases, cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes.

World Fitness calculator, it's a valid calculator for estimating VO2 max.

So, for example... short sharp large changes in lactate [are] better than prolonged moderate levels of lactate.

I want to mention around lactate levels, though—it's a bit like heart rate. Some people just have low maximal heart rates; some people just have low maximal lactate values.