Why You Should Try Interval Training
- Enhance athletic performance
- Boost your cardio fitness
- Accelerate weight loss
- Improve your body's ability to burn fat
- Make your workouts more time efficient
The reason they work so well is that, first, the more you shake up your body during the workout, the more energy your body expends getting your body back to normal after the workout. Second, interval training works regardless of fitness level and, by increasing your intensity for short periods of time, you teach your body how to work harder without killing yourself. Below are a few interval workouts you can try:
- Interval Workout - Sprints and Hills
- Beginner Interval Workout
- Intermediate Interval Workout
- More Interval Workouts
Make Your Own Interval Workouts
You can make your own interval workout by alternating high intensity activities (think sprinting, jump roping, power jumps, jumping jacks or anything that challenges your heart rate) for a period of time with low intensity moves (walking, marching in place, etc.). The general recommendation is to work at maximal effort for 1-4 minutes (long enough to become breathless) and recover for 5-10 minutes.
But, there are other ways to create an interval workout. You can make your intervals anaerobic, meaning you push as hard as you can, or you can keep the intervals aerobic, meaning you stay within about 75-85% of your maximum heart rate.
Do you have a favorite interval workout? Leave a comment and tell us about it.
Sources
Gerard, Jim. "The Science Behind Interval Training." ACE Fitness Matters, Sept/Oct 2007, pp 10-12.
Lindsay, Fiona H., et al. Improved athletic performance in highly trained cyclists after interval training. Med & Sci in Sports & Ex. 28(11):1427-1434, Nov 1996.
Comments
Here are 2 more reasons to use interval training:
1. Interval training increases post-exercise energy expenditure (calories burned following exercise) more than steady-state exercise, which means that more fat is burned. After intense exercise, the body needs extra calories as it works to repair muscles, replace energy stores (i.e. carbohydrate) and restore the body to its normal state (e.g. reduce heart rate).
As this can take many hours, you will keep on burning more calories long after the workout is over. In fact, research shows that metabolic rate is higher for several hours following interval training compared to steady state exercise.
2. Interval training increases the activity of enzymes involved in fat burning. Research has shown that after a bout of interval training there is more fat in the blood (i.e. free fatty acids), which is an indication of more fat, being used for energy production.
I love interval training. I feel like I can get a better workout in a shorter period of time! And with those bursts of intensity I feel the “buzz” long after my workout is done!
I am a pool exerciser, and my interval training is simple: I wear pool running shoes to protect my feet, and webbed gloves. Pool is chest high.
I run as FAST AS I CAN down the 25 meter pool. I rest at the end for 20-30 seconds, until my heart rate drops. Then repeat. Do it 5-7 times.
The water has 12x the resistance of air, and you weigh about 25% of your weight. The faster you run, the harder it is!
Jessica H.
I am a personal trainer and when a cleint has hit a plato interviel training is just the boost that is needed a quick 5 minute cardio push and then a controled 10 minute weight rutine in a workout for 1 hr this includes streching is just what is needed especially for cleints that are looking for that lean strong look with out bulkey muscles
I like to mix intervals into my running. For instance after an easy mile warm up I run hard for the next mile, then back off for a half mile, run hard for a half mile or run a hill hard, then slow down for another half mile, nearly sprint for a quarter mile and cool down the rest of the way to make 4 miles…a great workout in just over half an hour and I feel as if I’ve worked hard enough to count!
Great article, as usual. Thanks for writing it.
It really works! I started just a couple weeks ago, jogging 2 minutes and walking 3, for about 2 miles of my 4 mile walk, and my pants are about to fall off of me! I love it and my body has met the challenge and is begging for more! If you are stuck at a plateau, intervals will blast it away!!!
for Alexander..thats great..how long did you do this type of interval training until you noticed weight loss? I am doing the same for the past two months at least three times a week…still have to see results..
thanks!
for Nai… I think you should include some strength workout to increase your muscles or maybe you should eat just little less. After a more then five year inactivity I begun to achieve real results after 9-12 month of workout practicing. So if you start before two month even with interval training you will not be able to loose fat rapidly. You should prepare your body to be fit and then your workouts will have desired results. That’s my opinion.
july 15 08
What about we over 60 crowd? We have some with physical problems and can’t loose weight.
Personally I don’t swim and not to much for walking.
Here’s a question - When I do interval training, my heart rate gets up to 190 to 200 bpm. I have a friend about the same age (late 30’s), who rarely gets his heart rate above 160.
I hypothesized that he was because he could get his heart to pump more efficiently (fewer beats), but he says I’m wrong, and that it’s the other way around.
Who’s healthier and in better shape?
To Jay:
Mine heart rate is also high. Yesterday maximum was 192 bpm. When I previously practicing maximum was 201 bpm. This occur in second part of my workout time when I’m already tired. I think this is not to much important. Important thing is how fast your heart recover after intensive workout. Do you need a minute or two or 5 minutes and more to get low bpm (let’s say about 130 bpm). When I started to workout my heart rate was high. I thought it will be lower when I get fit. But now it is also high but intensity is different with that bpm and recovery time is much faster.
Your maximum heart rate is based mainly on 2 things:
1 - Your resting heart rate. If you start off at a lower number you will max out at a lower number.
2 - How hard you are working. Some people just can’t work as hard for various reasons including cardiovascular and muscular strength.
IMO…don’t worry about the numbers. If you are getting out of breath to the point where you need to gasp for breath if you try talking a lot then you are working hard enough.
Mine is very simple. In a 25 mile bike ride I’ll do upwards of 10 interval sprints of varying length. No science, just get off the saddle and sprint with high intensity. Of course, not all are done in the range of 32-35 MPH for anywhere from 200 metres to about 500 metres!
I vary warm up, but generally do in 2-4 miles. I then jump into a sprint of 100-200 metres to get the feeling of overall fitness. Generally the first is at 24-25 MPH. I progress to 32-35 MPH after a couple of intermediate sprints. I do give myself a cool down of about 5-8 minutes in between.
The terrain is varied, so I might start a sprint on the flat, downhill or uphill. I usually feel very spirited after the 10 sprints and I do work up the heart rate.
Sorry, I’m from the old school and don’t really pay attention to the current scientific methods. I know what works for me and have been doing this routine for about 35 years. Really works.
The following day I usually do a longer ride of moderate pace (fat burn) and give myself a day off before I go with the chain gang!
Ciao!
As a Personal Trainer I feel that interval training is an ideal way to add variety to my client’s programmes. My client’s like them because they can see progressions clearly. The first time we add a run into the programme - even if it’s just a 30 second burst puts them on a real high.
Definitely a big fan of interval training!
Try jump rope on a rebounder (mini trampoline). I do 1 minite hard and fast while using the rope and bouncing until I’m gasping for breath, then I recover for 2-3 minutes and go again for about 25 minutes. Works a treat, but after a few weeks you need to increase the work time and decrease the rest periods as your body gets fitter.