The Science Behind the New 4-Second Workout

High-intensity routines are brief and effective but not easy

Robert Roy Britt
Elemental
Published in
6 min readFeb 2, 2021

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Woman working out in her living room.
Photo: Oscar Wong/Getty Images

Researchers are racing to figure out the minimum amount of exercise needed to improve fitness and health. Findings in multiple labs have generated tantalizing headlines suggesting all you need is one lousy minute of effort or, based on one new study, a mere four seconds.

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Robert Roy Britt
Elemental

Editor of Aha! and Wise & Well on Medium + the Writer's Guide at writersguide.substack.com. Author of Make Sleep Your Superpower: amazon.com/dp/B0BJBYFQCB