A Minute of Really Hard Exercise Might Be All You Need, Study Says

Read: I Spent a Week Trying Vladimir Putin's Grueling Exercise Routine

Lazy assholes and overworked married-to-the-job types now have no excuses left about not being able to "get a workout in." According to a new study out of Canada's McMaster University, just one minute of all-out, vigorous exercise delivers pretty much the same results as a moderate 45-minute workout, the New York Times reports.

Researchers divided 25 out-of-shape schlubs into three different fitness-focused groups. Three times a week for 12 weeks, one group road a stationary bike for 45 minutes, one group did short 10-minute workouts with 20-second bursts of strenuous activity, and a control group just chilled.

When researchers compared the participants' aerobic fitness, muscle mass, and blood sugar levels before and after the 12 weeks, the control group had no change, but the moderate fitness group and the strenuous fitness group had practically identical results.

Both groups' participants' endurance had increased by 20 percent, and insulin resistance significantly improved—suggesting that 27 total hours of moderate exercise produces the same benefits as just 36 minutes of grueling cardio over three months.

Of course—as many have pointed out in the comments section of the Times piece—if weight loss is your goal, longer workouts are great because they burn more calories. Still, it's nice to know that you don't have to join a goth spin class to get the beach bod ready.