Fit in 60 Seconds: New Book Touts One-Minute Workout

Most people think getting fit takes a lot of time. But a new book called "The One Minute Workout: Science Shows a Way To Get Fit That's Smarter, Faster, Shorter," by Martin Gibala (Avery, out now), claims that's not true.

While the title is a little misleading - the "one minute" refers to 60 seconds of high-intensity exercise, spaced out among additional warmup and cool-down time - the gist of the book is that high-intensity interval training leads to substantial benefits.

Gibala's research found that a single minute's worth of intense exercise, done three times a week, gives ordinary people (i.e., not professional athletes) the same cardio-respiratory benefits as 135 minutes (45 minutes, three times a week) of traditional endurance training.

Want to hack your workout? Warm up with some light physical activity at an easy pace, then blast through a 20-second sprint with everything you've got.

Rest with a bit of low-intensity movement for another minute or two, and then blast through another 20-second sprint. Repeat the cycle until you've done three sprints, cool down for two minutes, and - boom - you're done.