Sprint intervals unleash 714 proteins that moderate exercise barely touches
Exercise intensity is associated with cardiometabolic health
A multi-cohort human exercise study compared sprint-interval exercise (SIE) with moderate-intensity exercise (MIE), tracking the plasma proteome and metabolome before and after training. SIE altered 714 proteins immediately post-exercise, while MIE changed just 7. Mapping proteins to their predicted tissues of origin, researchers found muscle fibers and adipocytes were especially responsive, and identified intensity-dependent circulating factors linked to cardiometabolic protection.
SIE markedly altered the plasma proteome, with nearly a quarter (714 proteins) of the total detected proteins changing immediately following exercise.
- jandrewrogers
As an anecdote of one, I was doing moderate intensity endurance exercise for a couple years with only modest improvements in basic cardiovascular metrics that kind of flatlined over time.
As an experiment, I switched to high-intensity interval type training for a couple months, which required about half the time to do. All of my cardiovascular metrics immediately changed in a strongly positive way. When I did the old endurance training, performance was much higher than it had been before the high-intensity training.
It is the strongest positive effect I have ever seen from any exercise/gym theory that has been widely promulgated. I never expected to see my cardiovascular metrics change as quickly or as much as they did.
- occz
High-intensity exercise is obviously good, but beware of the trap of doing just high intensity exercise and doing it too frequently - the body does not handle that amount of stress particularly well, and it will be counterproductive to your health.
Low intensity exercise that holds your aerobic base is vital as well - and for a well-rounded exercise week, it should constitute the majority of your exercise time.
That is not to say that you should neglect higher intensities, it's just that you cannot do them as often due to the disproportionate amount of fatigue they generate.
- tim-projects
I found that setting a two minute timer and running up and down a stair case with high intensity once per day can resolve a whole host of seemingly unrelated issues.
- manmal
I like sprinting a couple times up our hill, ca 10s each, 4-6 times. It’s full out, and when I‘m untrained (like now), I‘m quite exhausted afterwards.
But the dopamine boost I get from this is immense. It lasts 24-48h. I‘m in a general good mood for this period. Sometimes, a little more competitive than normal - that’s a downside.
Normal jogging or long walks don’t have this effect, at all.
- UltraSane
I know the most physically fit I have ever been was when I was able to do every video of the Insanity workout.