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Any exercise is better than no exercise. Short amounts of exercise at high intensity is probably better than medium length exercise at low intensity. Anything

Any exercise is better than no exercise. Short amounts of exercise at high intensity is probably better than medium length exercise at low intensity. Anything that makes more people want to do more exercise is a good thing. Anything that makes it clear that a little exercise is better than no exercise is a good thing (this seems obvious but you'd be surprised how many people think that if they can't get 30-60 minutes in, why bother?). All that being said, doing this every day for 30 days will eventually result in your body acclimating to the external stress and you will begin to see fewer and fewer benefits. Same thing happens if you run 30 minutes every day or do the exact same lifts for a month. For optimal results (where results might equal strength gains, weight loss, cardiovascular endurance or anything else), you have to regularly vary the training by time, exercise and intensity. I think this is awesome for a whole bunch of people I know who don't do ANY exercise. I'm just not sure it's going to have long term effects because there just isn't enough variability.

codingdave 13y ago
If I have the level of fitness I need to be haelthy and enjoy all the activities that I want, and I am in good health, and as you said, my body is used to it, so I am maintaining my fitness level... What is the problem?
- toki5 13y ago
  >For optimal results (where results might equal strength gains, weight loss, cardiovascular endurance or anything else) ...
revelation 13y ago
Of course, high intensity exercise will make people want to do less of it. So it is of extremely questionable value to those that start out from doing no exercise at all, and must still be carefully rationed for all others. That said, as usual, there is no free lunch, and the belief you only need to do this 7 minute workout is the equivalent to "this one weird trick".
cgh 13y ago
Actually, "muscle confusion" is a myth. As you get stronger/fitter, you need to increase intensity, whether it be by lifting more, running faster, etc. There is no need to change the exercises or the time you spend doing them. In the case of this 7 Minute Workout, just keep going harder - add a weight belt, incline the pushups and work towards full handstand pushups, etc.
- scotch_drinker 13y ago
  >In the case of this 7 Minute Workout, just keep going harder - add a weight belt, incline the pushups and work towards full handstand pushups, etc. I think we must be in violent agreement since this is the very definition of variability. Incline pushups are a different exercise. So are handstand pushups. Also there is some limit that you will reach if you go balls to the wall for 7 minutes as it relates to intensity. Increasing time at the same level of intensity necessarily means you do more work and get more benefit. You can't increase intensity doing the same exercises all the time as there is a finite limit of how much stuff you can do in 7 minutes.
- solarmist 13y ago
  Yes, muscle confusion is a myth, but progressive resistance isn't, and I think that's what he's getting at.
ronaldx 13y ago
>All that being said, doing this every day for 30 days will eventually result in your body acclimating to the external stress and you will begin to see fewer and fewer benefits. Same thing happens if you run 30 minutes every day or do the exact same lifts for a month. I have some disagreement. Admittedly semantic, but I think important. If you are consistently exercise the same way - you will stop observing improvements in your fitness (as you reach an equilibrium) but you will still have access to the same benefits, i.e. improved overall fitness and physical and mental health. An appropriate mixture of strength training and cardiovascular exercise is ideal, even without changing it. What's important is that you actually do it. Exercise is always a positive thing to do: for many people, it will be better to keep doing it in a way which they enjoy rather than change for the perception that they are challenging themselves more.
sliverstorm 13y ago
I'm just not sure it's going to have long term effects because there just isn't enough variability There's still all sorts of positive effects it could have. For example, someone who does it, and feels better because of it, might be motivated to delve deeper into fitness. Or, it might provide very accessible "conditioning-lite" to make the experience of starting a more intensive routine more pleasant. Taken exactly as-is, repeated forever- you will absolutely plateau. But it could still have indirect positive long-term effects.

codingdave 13y ago

If I have the level of fitness I need to be haelthy and enjoy all the activities that I want, and I am in good health, and as you said, my body is used to it, so I am maintaining my fitness level... What is the problem?

toki5 13y ago
>For optimal results (where results might equal strength gains, weight loss, cardiovascular endurance or anything else) ...

revelation 13y ago

Of course, high intensity exercise will make people want to do less of it. So it is of extremely questionable value to those that start out from doing no exercise at all, and must still be carefully rationed for all others. That said, as usual, there is no free lunch, and the belief you only need to do this 7 minute workout is the equivalent to "this one weird trick".

cgh 13y ago

Actually, "muscle confusion" is a myth. As you get stronger/fitter, you need to increase intensity, whether it be by lifting more, running faster, etc. There is no need to change the exercises or the time you spend doing them. In the case of this 7 Minute Workout, just keep going harder - add a weight belt, incline the pushups and work towards full handstand pushups, etc.

scotch_drinker 13y ago
>In the case of this 7 Minute Workout, just keep going harder - add a weight belt, incline the pushups and work towards full handstand pushups, etc. I think we must be in violent agreement since this is the very definition of variability. Incline pushups are a different exercise. So are handstand pushups. Also there is some limit that you will reach if you go balls to the wall for 7 minutes as it relates to intensity. Increasing time at the same level of intensity necessarily means you do more work and get more benefit. You can't increase intensity doing the same exercises all the time as there is a finite limit of how much stuff you can do in 7 minutes.
solarmist 13y ago
Yes, muscle confusion is a myth, but progressive resistance isn't, and I think that's what he's getting at.

ronaldx 13y ago

>All that being said, doing this every day for 30 days will eventually result in your body acclimating to the external stress and you will begin to see fewer and fewer benefits. Same thing happens if you run 30 minutes every day or do the exact same lifts for a month. I have some disagreement. Admittedly semantic, but I think important. If you are consistently exercise the same way - you will stop observing improvements in your fitness (as you reach an equilibrium) but you will still have access to the same benefits, i.e. improved overall fitness and physical and mental health. An appropriate mixture of strength training and cardiovascular exercise is ideal, even without changing it. What's important is that you actually do it. Exercise is always a positive thing to do: for many people, it will be better to keep doing it in a way which they enjoy rather than change for the perception that they are challenging themselves more.

sliverstorm 13y ago

I'm just not sure it's going to have long term effects because there just isn't enough variability There's still all sorts of positive effects it could have. For example, someone who does it, and feels better because of it, might be motivated to delve deeper into fitness. Or, it might provide very accessible "conditioning-lite" to make the experience of starting a more intensive routine more pleasant. Taken exactly as-is, repeated forever- you will absolutely plateau. But it could still have indirect positive long-term effects.