How do interval training

Reduced risk of injury or overtraining Because you vary the intensity of activity during your workout, you may be able to avoid injuries or overdoing it as compared with longer workouts. Fun Factor Interval workouts offer more variety than other workouts, making them less tedious and boring. Keep in mind that interval training is extremely demanding on the heart, lungs and muscles, and it's important to have the go ahead from your physician before you start interval training.

You should also have a solid base of overall aerobic fitness before performing high intensity training of any kind. Member's Corner. Singapore Taiwan. Member's Login. What is Interval Training? Benefits of Interval Training Increased endurance Interval training actually trains your heart to pump more blood to the muscles and it trains your muscles to extract that oxygen more efficiently, making all your other workouts easier to handle.

How To Do It Choose any cardio activity This can work with any machine or activity - Running, cycling, walking, elliptical, jumping rope, kickboxing etc. Choose the length of your workout This might be minutes for beginners or minutes for more advanced exercisers. Choose the length of your work or recovery intervals - If you're a beginner, you might want to alternate minutes of higher intensity exercise with 5 or more minutes of lower intensity.

Interval training programs are also designed scientifically and specifically for individual athletes. For example, the intensity and duration of these periods of activity are usually determined by AT anaerobic threshold testing, which also measures the blood-lactate of the athlete during intense exercise. During the intense periods of activity, interval training works repetitively on the aerobic and anaerobic systems.

Interval training can be applied to all levels of fitness training — for beginners, intermediate exercisers and well-conditioned athletes. Interval training enables greater exposure to more intensive training without the excess fatigue. This leads to many benefits:. While there are an unlimited number of ways to design an interval training program, they can all be grouped into 2 basic types.

This technique is recommended for beginners and intermediate exercisers. This technique is more advanced and is recommended for well-conditioned athletes. The following examples of interval training exercises illustrate how easily interval training routines can be adapted to suit most sports or activities.

By manipulating the intensity and duration of the work intervals and the length of the rest periods, specific training responses can be achieved. Interval training is a fantastic form of exercise, however, the most common problem associated with interval training is that people tend to get over excited , because of the intense nature of the exercises, and push themselves harder than they normally would.

This tends to result in sore muscles and joints, and an increased likelihood of injury. Below are a few precautions you need to take into consideration. While the recommendations on this page are a good place to start, you'll get a lot more benefit when you add the right stretches to your training program.

You'll get clear photographs and 44 video demonstrations of unique stretches for every major muscle groups in your body. And the Handbook will show you, step-by-step, how to perform each stretch correctly and safely. Plus, you'll also learn the 7 critical rules for safe stretching; the benefits of flexibility; and how to stretch properly.

The information in this article, along with the examples below, and a little bit of imagination, will help you put together the perfect interval training workout. Make sure you warm up before attempting any of the workouts below and take extra care to follow the precautions and safety guidelines in the section above. Amazon author page has listed his books on five Best-Seller lists.

Google cites over , references to him and his work on the internet. And satisfied customers from countries have sent 1,'s of verified customer reviews. If you want to know about stretching, flexibility or sports injury management, Brad Walker is the go-to-guy. Disclaimer : The health and fitness information presented on this website is intended as an educational resource and is not intended as a substitute for proper medical advice.

Please consult your physician or physical therapist before performing any of the exercises described on this website, particularly if you are pregnant, elderly or have any chronic or recurring muscle or joint pain. Click here to get it now! Discover how to use interval training to get super fit and strong. What is Interval Training? How Does Interval Training Work? The anaerobic system metabolises energy stored in the muscles glycogen for the short bursts of activity without needing oxygen.

Lactic acid builds up as the by-product and the athlete experiences oxygen debt. The body is then allowed to recover with the heart and lungs working together to give back this oxygen and to break down the lactic acid. The aerobic system takes over using oxygen to convert stored carbohydrates into energy. This leads to many benefits: New capillaries are built taking oxygen to the muscles to strengthen them, including the heart muscle. The combination of an improved cardiovascular system with muscles that can tolerate lactic acid build-up significantly improves athletic performance and well-being.

Injuries associated with long-term, repetitive exercises are significantly reduced due to lack of overtraining or burn-out. Overall aerobic power and fitness levels are improved. Helpful when trying a new form of exercise or activity.

Allows you to gradually build up to the continuous activity in a much more enjoyable and effective manner, without tiring too quickly.

The Fitness Interval Training This technique is recommended for beginners and intermediate exercisers. The Performance Interval Training This technique is more advanced and is recommended for well-conditioned athletes.

Interval training is meant to be tough but quick, so you can work harder and smarter not longer. Check out these interval training workout routines for inspiration. Less time in the gym doesn't mean you have to sacrifice fitness if you know this secret: interval training.

Research shows that interval training — workouts in which you alternate periods of high-intensity exercise with low-intensity recovery periods — increases fitness and burns more calories over a short period of time than steady-state cardio you know: just doing the same thing for your whole workout time.

So how do you get the most out of interval training, and how long should each push and recovery be? One of the many great things about interval training workouts is that there's no single hard-and-fast rule.

Different lengths of work and recovery bring different benefits — and they're all good. There are even HIIT apps. These interval training workouts and exercise ideas can help you get started with your own interval training workout routine. Once you're ready? Add these interval training workouts or exercises to your gym routine once a week to burn more calories, boost your overall fitness level, and get in and out of the gym faster. That's a win-win-win.

This is one of the best interval training workouts you can do to improve fitness. It gets your heart pumping and burns lots of calories in a short amount of time. Sprinting is great for tightening and toning your legs, glutes, and core. It increases your muscle power, which helps you push harder and makes your non-interval training workouts feel easier so you can challenge yourself and get even closer to reaching your goals.

This adds sprint interval training for a fast and fun workout. Here, after each burst of hard work, you'll recover for the same amount of time.

These alternating lunges zone in on your quads and glutes, giving you serious strength and definition. But first, make sure you know how to do a lunge correctly before jumping into this interval training move.

Trade in trekking along on the treadmill for some soccer drill-inspired cardio that has cardiovascular and circulation benefits, to boot. This interval workout move mixes cardio and muscle-shaping strength work in one. Squeeze your glutes to add resistance to each squat, helping you burn calories with controlled movements. Combine these two CrossFit cult favorites for killer core and glute work. BTW, here's how to do a burpee the right way. By isolating each leg in these interval training sets, you'll combine strength training, cardio, and core work.

Alternate between high and low jumping jacks to fire up your muscles and metabolism in under a minute flat. Make sure to engage your abs as you drop down to your plank for a little bonus burn. And consider some " squat therapy " to get your form down. This interval training exercise revs your metabolism, sculpts your shoulders, and works the biceps — with your own body weight.

By pulling your abs in tight, you'll work your core, outer thighs, and glutes all at once during this interval training move. Do three sets of one minute each, aiming to beat your last set every single time. Don't have a jump rope? Use a rolled-up towel or no equipment at all, jump back and forth from a fixed point to get the same results.

By Jason R.