The days of long, slow running or gliding along on the elliptical trainer are gone. These are very ineffective ways of burning body fat and getting lean and tight. While many people believe that more is better when it comes to training and working out; the results of very fit people will speak otherwise.
As a personal trainer I make sure that my clients focus on three things; nutrition, strength training, and interval training. In this article I want to focus on what interval training is, and how to do it correctly in order to maximize your time and see great results.
Interval training is a phrase that is thrown around in the personal training industry a lot today. People hear about it but do they really understand the benefits? Why can t I just go out and run 3 miles? Won t that get me in shape and allow me to lose that pesky body fat?
The answer is a resounding no. Long, slow, steady training does nothing for the body composition and a person s goal of looking lean and trim. In order to get this desired body, you must increase your intensity and elevate your metabolism. A consistently elevated metabolic rate will promote fat loss because your body is working very hard to supply lean muscle tissue with adequate energy (calories). Fat tissue requires much less energy and thus creating a slow metabolic rate.
Interval training is mixing short bursts of high intensity training with lower intensity time frames that will act as recovery in order to simultaneously overload the aerobic and anaerobic systems. The main goal of interval training is to work hard for a selected amount of time (usually anywhere from 15 seconds to 1 minute) and then recover for a time even or slightly more than the work time. This will elevate your heart rate and body systems and then give your body active recovery in between.
The theory here is that you get more work done in a shorter time and will burn more calories both during and after the training session is completed.
This type of training is great because spending less time in the gym or outside completing a sprint workout is always a bonus.
This type of training allows you to stay focused and can help you avoid injury because there is less impact and repetitive movement.
Here is an example of an interval training session done on a bike:
• Warm up at a low resistance for 3 minutes
• Perform a 30 second sprint at an elevated resistance, as fast as you can go
• Lower the resistance and recover at an easy ride for 1 minute
• Perform this work/rest circuit 8 10 times (depending on your training level)
• Cool down with minimal resistance for 3 minutes
• This entire training session will take you 21 minutes
Be sure to warm up for 3 5 minutes with a nice easy pedal before the interval sets. Keep yourself hydrated before, during and after the training session, and use a 1 10 scale to measure your work rates. Your work interval should be about 8 9 out of 10 while your recovery rate should be around a 4 or 5.
Give this workout a try and see huge changes in your stamina, body and your overall fitness.
Author Resource:
Brookline personal trainer Callie Durbrow helps clients to lose fat, get toned and tight, and feel more energized. Her group training programs motivate clients to see results and live healthy lifestyles. For more information or tips visit http://www.durbrowperformance.com
![[Valid RSS feed]](http://www.look4articles.com/images/icon_Rss.png "XML Feed For RSS"){kind=icon}
Category Rss Feed
Print This Article
Add To Favorites
![[Valid RSS feed]](http://www.look4articles.com/images/rss.jpg "XML Feed For RSS")