9 ms·

I very briefly skimmed the linked study[1] -- love that they actually linked to the study, especially love that the study is published openly, for free -- but t

I very briefly skimmed the linked study[1] -- love that they actually linked to the study, especially love that the study is published openly, for free -- but there was one question/concern that I didn't see addressed. They found that both groups (long and slow & short and intense) were basically equivalent, especially compared to the control; but they didn't address potential safety concerns or risk of injuries. Surely the group doing the short, intense workouts is at a substantially higher risk of injury. My biggest question would be, what is the added risk, and given that is it still a good "value proposition" overall? The sample size (total N = 25) is also kind of low. Interesting nonetheless... 1 - http://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0154075 http://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal....

eitally 10y ago
I can offer an anecdotal answer: it depends. This is honestly an area where "individuals should speak with their physician before beginning any new intense physical exercise program." I'm a runner and a basketball player. In basketball, especially at the higher levels, fast twitch muscles and explosive bursts are favored ... which results in quite a bit of weight+sprint training and plyometrics. The common injuries you see are generally torque related: sprains, strains, ligament tears/detachments. In distance running, it's the opposite: slow twitch muscles and cardiovascular endurance are favored, resulting in some bits of high impact work but mostly just "putting in the miles". In this sport, the common injuries are related to overuse, poor physiodynamics (bad form), and congenital/degenerative problems (mostly joint-related). The short of it is probably something along these lines: not everyone is cut out to do well at both, so there will probably be a fairly obvious option for part of the population. For the majority who are "average", it probably pays to try both, but I'd insert a caveat that easing into a new training routine is CRITICAL and also that endurance sports carry risks that may not surface immediately but which can have long lasting impacts, so be careful, talk to experts, and pay attention to your body.
smelterdemon 10y ago
"Surely the group doing the short, intense workouts is at a substantially higher risk of injury." I'm not so sure about this. Anecdotally the most common injuries in running and biking are caused by repetition not excessive intensity.
programLyrique 10y ago
I had some knee pain after running just a few dozens of minutes. I was adviced to switch to HIIT, and now, I don't have this pain anymore...

eitally 10y ago

I can offer an anecdotal answer: it depends. This is honestly an area where "individuals should speak with their physician before beginning any new intense physical exercise program." I'm a runner and a basketball player. In basketball, especially at the higher levels, fast twitch muscles and explosive bursts are favored ... which results in quite a bit of weight+sprint training and plyometrics. The common injuries you see are generally torque related: sprains, strains, ligament tears/detachments. In distance running, it's the opposite: slow twitch muscles and cardiovascular endurance are favored, resulting in some bits of high impact work but mostly just "putting in the miles". In this sport, the common injuries are related to overuse, poor physiodynamics (bad form), and congenital/degenerative problems (mostly joint-related). The short of it is probably something along these lines: not everyone is cut out to do well at both, so there will probably be a fairly obvious option for part of the population. For the majority who are "average", it probably pays to try both, but I'd insert a caveat that easing into a new training routine is CRITICAL and also that endurance sports carry risks that may not surface immediately but which can have long lasting impacts, so be careful, talk to experts, and pay attention to your body.

smelterdemon 10y ago

"Surely the group doing the short, intense workouts is at a substantially higher risk of injury." I'm not so sure about this. Anecdotally the most common injuries in running and biking are caused by repetition not excessive intensity.

programLyrique 10y ago

I had some knee pain after running just a few dozens of minutes. I was adviced to switch to HIIT, and now, I don't have this pain anymore...