Recorded exclusively at this year’s Evidence Based Perioperative Medicine (EBPOM) World Congress in London this piece looks in detail at High-Intensity Interval Training (HIIT). HIIT can significantly enhance physical fitness and resilience in cancer patients, reducing complications and improving quality of life. Hear how HIIT can positively impact mitochondrial performance, thus improving cardio-respiratory fitness. The discussion also explores the integration of experimental medicine from bench to bedside, emphasizing the multidisciplinary approach involving surgeons, scientists, and anesthetists. Presented by Andy Cumpstey and Joff Lacey with their guests Colleen Dean, Lecturer in Muscle Cell Biology and Malcolm West, Associate Professor in Colorectal Surgery and Prehabilitation Medicine at the University of Southampton, an honorary appointment as a consultant colorectal and complex cancer surgeon at University Hospitals Southampton NHS Foundation Trust.