WORKOUT TIMERS
Sprint interval timer
Short, all-out sprints with long rests: the format behind the research on very short workouts
Most HIIT is hard but controlled, at 80 to 95% of your maximum. Sprint interval training, or SIT, is different: every sprint is all-out, so the rests have to be long, often 2 to 4 minutes, and a session has only a handful of them.
| Session | Sprints | Rest | Session time |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gibala and colleagues, 2006 | 4 to 6 × 30 s | 4 min | About 20 to 30 min |
| Gillen and colleagues, 2016 | 3 × 20 s | 2 min | 10 min, with warm-up and cool down |
What the research found
Key study
One minute of sprinting in a 10-minute session
- Randomized trial
- Inactive men
- 12 weeks
Three 20-second all-out sprints on a bike, in a 10-minute session three times a week, improved fitness, insulin sensitivity and muscle mitochondria as much as 45 minutes of moderate cycling, with a fifth of the time and exercise.
Source 2How to set it up in Cero
- Create a new simple timer: high intensity 20 or 30 seconds, low intensity 2 to 4 minutes.
- Set sets to 3 to 6, with a warm-up and a cool down.
- Choose a loud sound or voice cue for the start of each sprint, and keep pedaling or walking slowly while you rest.
Sources
- Gibala MJ, Little JP, van Essen M, et al. Short-term sprint interval versus traditional endurance training: similar initial adaptations in human skeletal muscle and exercise performance. J Physiol. 2006;575(3):901-911. doi.org/10.1113/jphysiol.2006.112094
- Gillen JB, Martin BJ, MacInnis MJ, et al. Twelve Weeks of Sprint Interval Training Improves Indices of Cardiometabolic Health Similar to Traditional Endurance Training despite a Five-Fold Lower Exercise Volume and Time Commitment. PLoS One. 2016;11(4):e0154075. doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0154075
YOUR NEXT SESSION STARTS HERE
Bring the effort.
We’ll keep the time.
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Cero is a timer, not a medical device. If you’re new to hard exercise, are pregnant or have a health condition, check with your doctor first, and stop if you feel unwell.