Fitness
HIIT vs long workouts: Which is better for metabolic health?
- Walking in short bursts or climbing stairs can burn 20% to 60% more energy than sustained activity for the same distance, a new study has found.
- Researchers at the University of Milan, in Italy, enrolled 10 participants with an average age of 27 who were subjected to 10- to 240-second bursts of treadmill walking or stair-climber rounds.
- Experts caution that the findings cannot be broadly applied due to the small number of participants and their relatively young, healthy status.
Walking for short bursts or climbing stairs can burn 20% to 60% more energy than sustained activity for the same distance, a new study published in the Proceedings of the Royal Society B has found.
Researchers at the University of Milan, in Italy, wanted to understand how walking’s metabolic cost was affected by the duration of the activity.
To this end, they recruited 10 participants with an average age of 27, who were agreed to undertake 10- to 240-second bursts of treadmill walking or stair-climber rounds.
Using an oxygen mask to measure oxygen uptake and metabolic cost, they determined that the shorter bouts of activity had greater metabolic cost, with 30-second bouts consuming 20% to 60% more oxygen than steady bouts of activity.
The researchers concluded that by starting and stopping activity, the participants were able to expend more energy due to the metabolic processes that the body encounters while ramping up to strenuous bursts versus the sustained energy use of longer bouts.
In their view, people looking to maximize their exercise returns might consider implementing shorter bursts of activity rather than a longer sustained effort.
Ryan Glatt, CPT, NBC-HWC, a senior brain health coach and director of the FitBrain Program at Pacific Neuroscience Institute in Santa Monica, CA, who was not involved in the study, told Medical News Today that the study’s claim of higher energy expenditure hinges on what he referred to as “specific circumstances.”
“While shorter bursts might burn more calories, the actual benefit may vary depending on individual metabolism and exercise habits,” Glatt said, adding that the implications for similar short-burst activity like high-intensity interval training (HIIT) are also unclear.
”The study implies HIIT could burn more calories due to frequent stopping and starting, but it’s not conclusive. While HIIT can be effective, the benefit over traditional workouts might not be as significant for everyone,” he cautioned.
Christopher A. Schneble, MD, an assistant professor of orthopaedic surgery at the Yale School of Medicine, who was also not involved in the study, told MNT that the study’s conclusions cannot be applied broadly to any general form of workout because of the emphasis on shorter activity times.
“We have to keep in mind that this study only looked at very short exercise durations, those between 10 seconds and 4 minutes. We can’t necessarily apply this concept to longer durations. The authors more or less hint at there being a potential phase of energy inefficiency with increased oxygen intake very early into a workout. Their results suggest that on average, we are disproportionately using more oxygen within the first 30 seconds of exercise, however most of this phenomenon corrects back to a steady state within the first few minutes.”
– Christopher A. Schneble, MD
“The authors’ findings apply more to situations of starting exercise, like going for intermittent short walks, than they do for sustained exercise,“ Schneble explained.
“The increased energy expenditure and oxygen intake during the initial 30s of working out is interesting, but don’t think it makes sense to prioritize your workouts around this phenomenon given it is so short lived, and you may find yourself waiting spending more time recovery periods than actually exercising,” he advised.
Given the relatively young average age of the participants — of which there were only 10 — the study’s findings may not apply broadly to a general population, Schneble said.
“I don’t know that we can conclude very much from this article about the role age plays in influencing the results. We also have to consider how these results might vary based on physical fitness, which can have a substantial impact on maximum oxygen consumption, [which is the] amount of oxygen we can make available for maximum intensity,” he pointed out.
“What I found particularly interesting was that regardless of the activity, there was an initial over intake of oxygen more often in excess of the eventual intake required down downstream. To some degree, this could be our bodies doing their best to put us in a situation to be ‘overprepared’ for bursts of physical activity, but a lot more research is needed to get down to the bottom of this and understand what drives this finding,” said Schneble.
Glatt also emphasized the lack of diversity in the study’s ability to infer larger trends among broad populations.
“The study doesn’t explore age-related differences, so it’s unclear if younger people, with higher energy levels, gain less from short bursts than older adults. More research is needed to verify any age-based outcomes,” he told us.
“With only 10 participants, the findings are far from definitive. The small sample size limits the study’s reliability and broader applicability. More data is needed to draw solid conclusions,” Glatt pointed out.
Fitness
Alexandra Daddario, 40, Relies on This Underrated Crunch Upgrade for Strong Abs – Here’s How to Do It Properly
From enduring some serious physical prep for Baywatch to working consistently with elite trainer Patrick Murphy, Alexandra Daddario’s dedication to fitness is well-documented. She often shares insights on social media, and in a recent Instagram post, the White Lotus star gave an insight into how she trains her core with one powerhouse movement: the reverse crunch into shoulder stand.
Why is it so good? Most traditional ab exercises require repetitive spinal flexion—the process of pulling your chest down toward your knees, like in a standard crunch. This isolates only the upper section of your abs, and for women who spend hours sitting at a desk, it can reinforce a slouched, rounded posture.
Daddario’s movement flips the mechanics entirely since you actively curl your pelvis up toward your chest. In doing so, you target not only your upper abs, but the lower portion and your obliques (the sides) simultaneously, all while keeping your chest open and your neck unstrained. This translates into a much stronger core, better posture and crucial lower back protection. Research also shows that a controlled posterior tilt – the lower-body curl that initiates Daddario’s move – recruits a significantly higher percentage of deep core muscle fibers than traditional crunches.
Daddario then drives her hips directly up into a vertical shoulder stand. This completely removes momentum from the equation (meaning you can’t “cheat”) and forces your abs—particularly your obliques—to balance your body and prevent you from tipping sideways.
She then takes it one step further into a Pilates plow position with her legs overhead, before reversing the movement and, again, using her abs to control the lowering of her entire lower body as she slowly unrolls her spine down onto the mat. The plow portion is optional (and super advanced); the slow, controlled, lowering phase, which happens whether you move into plow or not, is where the magic happens, challenging your core through both lifting and resisting gravity. Inspired? Here’s exactly how to do the move with good form, and how many reps and sets to aim for.
How to do a reverse crunch into shoulder stand
- Lie on your back (either on a mat, or on a reformer Pilates machine, like Daddario, with your arms anchored tightly to the floor.
- Engage your core to curl your knees toward your chest, then fluidly press your feet straight up toward the ceiling, lifting your hips and lower back off the floor.
- Slowly lower down, one vertebra at a time. Aim for 3 sets of 6-8 controlled reps.
Optional progression:
- As you reach shoulder stand with your legs extended to the ceiling, slowly start to lower your toes toward the floor over your head. Your weight should rest entirely on your shoulders and upper back – not your neck.
- Keeping your legs straight, use your core to extend them straight back up to the ceiling, then control the descent by rolling your spine down one vertebra at a time, with your legs remaining straight.
As Women’s Health UK’s fitness director and a qualified Pilates and yoga instructor, Bridie Wilkins has been passionately reporting on exercise, health and nutrition since the start of her decade-long career in journalism.
After earning a first-class degree in journalism and NCTJ accreditation, she secured her first role at Look Magazine, where she launched the magazine’s health and fitness column, Look Fit, before going on to become Health and Fitness writer at HELLO!
Since, she has written for Stylist, Glamour, Cosmopolitan, Marie Claire, Elle, The Metro, Runner’s World and Red. Today, she oversees all fitness content across Women’s Health online and in print, spearheading leading cross-platform franchises, such as ‘Fit At Any Age’, which showcases the women proving that age is no barrier to exercise.
She has also represented the brand on BBC Radio London, plus various podcasts and Substacks – all with the aim to encourage more women to exercise and show them how. Outside of work, find her trying the latest Pilates studio, testing her VO2 max for fun (TY, Oura), or posting workouts on Instagram.
Fitness
Steffie Bryant, Alistair Brownlee to Share AI, Performance Insights at European Congress – Health & Fitness Association
From artificial intelligence to elite sport, the HFA European Congress keynote speakers will explore the forces reshaping health and fitness around the world.
By Lia Palazzo, Manager of Public Affairs
Steffie Bryant and Alistair Brownlee are set to offer the two keynote addresses at the 2026 HFA European Congress.
Artificial intelligence and high-performance leadership will take center stage at the 2026 HFA European Congress, where Keepme.ai President Steffie Bryant and two-time Olympic triathlon champion Alistair Brownlee will headline the annual gathering of fitness industry leaders.
The Congress, scheduled for September 24-26 at London Stadium in Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park, will bring together executives, operators, suppliers, investors, and innovators from more than 35 countries to explore the trends shaping the future of health and fitness.
Bryant will open the event on September 24 with a keynote examining how artificial intelligence is transforming fitness businesses. As president of Keepme.ai, she has helped clubs adopt AI-driven tools to strengthen member engagement, improve operations, and drive sustainable growth. Her session will focus on how operators can leverage emerging technology while maintaining a people-first approach. Her keynote is sponsored by Keepme.ai.
Brownlee will headline the second day of the Congress, sharing lessons from Olympic competition, entrepreneurship, and health innovation. The only athlete to win two Olympic gold medals in the individual triathlon, Brownlee is also founder of sports nutrition company truefuels, an investor in health and wellness companies, and co-founder of the Brownlee Foundation, which promotes youth participation in sport.
The speaker lineup reflects this year’s Congress theme, One Vision. One Voice., which focuses on the role innovation, collaboration, and leadership will play in the next chapter of the global fitness industry.
In addition to the keynote presentations, attendees will hear from more than 40 speakers from the fitness sector and related industries addressing trends, GLP-1 usage and exercise, emerging markets to watch, investment opportunities, retention, payment ecosystems, corporate wellness, community initiatives, and more. The full schedule can be viewed here and includes time to connect with suppliers in the Sponsor Marketplace. On September 26, attendees can participate in club and studio tours across London. The club tours can be added at the time of registration.
Presented in partnership with ukactive and hosted by industry leader David Minton of EVOLVE, the HFA European Congress is the industry’s premier European event, offering business leaders insight into emerging trends, new technologies, and opportunities shaping the future of the industry.
...RED FLAG WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 11 PM PDT SATURDAY FOR GUSTY WINDS AND LOW HUMIDITY FOR THE SIERRA FRONT... * Affected Area...Fire Weather Zone 420 Northern Sierra Front including Carson City, Douglas, Storey, Southern Washoe, Western Lyon, and Far Southern Lassen Counties. * Winds...West 20 to 30 mph with gusts up to 45 mph. * Humidity...Afternoon minimums of 12 to 20 percent. * Duration...2 to 5 hours Friday with 3 to 8 hours Saturday. * Impacts...The combination of gusty winds and dry fuels can cause fire to rapidly grow in size and intensity before first responders can contain them. PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS... Avoid outdoor activities that can cause a spark near dry vegetation, such as yard work, target shooting, or campfires. Follow local fire restrictions. Check weather.gov/reno for updates and livingwithfire.info for preparedness tips. &&
...LAKE WIND ADVISORY REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 11 PM PDT SATURDAY FOR WASHOE LAKE... * WHAT...Southwest winds 20 to 30 mph with gusts up to 45 mph for Washoe Lake. * WHERE...Greater Reno-Carson City-Minden Area. * WHEN...Until 11 PM PDT Saturday. * IMPACTS...Small boats, kayaks and paddle boards will be prone to capsizing and should remain off lake waters until conditions improve. * ADDITIONAL DETAILS...Winds may briefly subside tonight before increasing again early Saturday morning. PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS... Check lake conditions before heading out and be prepared for a sudden increase in winds and wave heights. Consider postponing boating activities on the lake until a day with less wind. &&
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