Short of jogging to the cosmetic clinic, most body refits are serious rites of passage that require earnest commitment. In other words, you’re probably not going to build the body of your dreams without some kind of emotional down payment. However, that’s not to say it needs to be an epic odyssey. During a recent study conducted at McMaster University, a smartly constructed one-minute workout was found to be as effective as 45 minutes of moderate exercise.
In the test, sedentary men (that’s you) were asked to pedal all-out for just 60 seconds daily before returning to their TV remotes. Amazingly, over 12 weeks the study group managed to improve their aerobic capacity, blood-sugar control and body-fat percentage as much as those who rode for 45 minutes at a moderate pace.
Let us be clear: researchers said nothing about subjects looking like Ryan Gosling after the test was completed, nor of their ability to grate cheese with their abs. Even so, if you’re extremely low on willpower, we think it’s a pretty good start: subjects saw significant weight loss and increased muscle tone. The scientists call it extreme interval training. We’re calling it bodybuilding for the bone-idle.