Blast your cardio with interval training
September 17th, 2008 by Barb
Bored with your cardio workout, or just pressed for time? Interval training may be the ticket to reinvigorate your routine and get better results in less time. And it’s not just for runners.
Interval training basically calls for adding bursts of activity to your workout. It’s often associated with running, but you can apply it to other types of cardio/aerobic exercise, too—biking, rowing, walking, swimming, etc. A recent study suggests that interval training can produce the same heart benefits as “traditional high-volume endurance training.”
Most adherents add interval training to their regular cardio workouts, but some are dropping their old routines altogether to switch to intervals only. Check out this excerpt from an article in U.S. News and World Report:
“John Ratey … swapped out 40-minute jogging sessions on the treadmill for something less time consuming but more vigorous: Twice a week, he now jogs for a total of 20 minutes and includes five exhausting sprints of 20 to 30 seconds apiece. After a month, he was amazed at the results. ‘I didn’t change my diet, and I spent less time on the treadmill,’ he says. ‘But all of a sudden, I was 10 pounds lighter.’”
The Mayo Clinic touts interval training because it:
- burns more calories,
- improves aerobic capacity,
- fends off boredom, and
- requires no special equipment
It’s also been reported to release a hormone that burns belly fat and adds muscle fibers, and to boost post-workout metabolism.
So how do you do it? Generally, you want to incorporate intense bursts of 30 seconds to three minutes long, followed by recovery periods at a much lower intensity. For example, if you regularly walk around a track, you could pick up your pace on the two long stretches of track and walk at your normal pace around the corners. If you run, you could sprint the long stretches and walk or jog the corners.
You should, of course, warm up first. And, because interval training is harder on the body, you should limit the sessions to twice a week with at least a day between. Also, interval training is not for those just beginning a fitness program or with heart or joint issues.
In addition the standard routine described above, Men’s Health has devised a “pyramid structure” for interval training:
1) 3 - 5 minutes warmup
2) 30 seconds high intensity, 1 minute low intensity
3) 45 seconds high intensity, 1 minute low intensity
4) 60 seconds high intensity, 1 minute low intensity
5) 90 seconds high intensity, 1 minute low intensity
6) 60 seconds high intensity, 1 minute low intensity
7) 45 seconds high intensity, 1 minute low intensity
30 seconds high intensity
9) 3 - 5 minutes cooldown
I’ve just recently added a once-a-week session of interval training. Last Friday, for example, I did a series of eight sprints after a 4-mile run. It’s probably too soon to notice any real results, but I can tell you that it feels like more of a workout than my normal runs and is, in a way, more satisfying.
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January 8th, 2009 at 5:32 am
Good article, I was looking for some details on interval training as I’m training for a lacrosse tournament.
April 13th, 2010 at 9:13 am
WOw THE The Mayo Clinic touts interval training because it burns more calories, improves aerobic capacity, fends off boredom, and requires no special equipment…THis info Was so amazing thanks for this and for the intervals i apply it in my daily exercise…DOes training Interval take time?Are you sure it really effective?
April 23rd, 2010 at 9:10 am
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June 20th, 2010 at 7:13 pm
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August 17th, 2010 at 2:22 am
With so several weight lifting programs obtainable it was really difficult to pick the right one for me. Once I found 1 that got me results I stuck with it and I merely modify it occasionally.