Spring Break
Getting in shape fast with interval training
Issue date: 9/27/07
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How would you like to burn more calories hours after working out, have more energy and perform everyday activities with more ease and be faster and stronger? By incorporating interval training into your workout program, you can reap all these benefits and more.
Doing a good interval workout means breaking out of your comfort zone. An interval should be performed at 80 to 95 percent of your maximum heart rate (MHR). A recovery period should be between 60 and 75 percent MHR, to allow your muscles to work aerobically and use up stored carbohydrates.
If you don't have a heart rate monitor, simply judge your heart rate by how you are breathing and the "talk test." During intervals you should not be able to say more then a few sporadic words, but by the end of your recovery you should be able to speak in complete sentences.
Interval training uses both the aerobic and anaerobic systems. During intervals of harder work your muscles are anaerobic, or without oxygen. They have to look to the glycogen stored within your muscles for fuel. When this glucose is broken down for energy, the by-product is lactic acid, which gives you the "burn."
As your body becomes used to this workout routine, your muscles are able to tolerate more lactic acid, which means you can work harder and longer. This endurance helps when you are climbing a flight of stairs or rushing from one place to another. Interval training also helps burn fat, strengthens the heart and lungs and decreases the likelihood of injury.
Before any workout, make sure you warm up for at least five minutes. Increase your intensity so you reach 80 to 95 percent MHR. Keep at this pace for anywhere from 30 seconds to two minutes, depending on your fitness level. Then allow yourself to recover at 60 to 75 percent MHR for up to two minutes. Repeat this for 20 minutes. As you get in better shape, you should increase the intensity or duration of your intervals.
Intervals can be done anywhere. When running outdoors, pick out an object like a telephone pole or trash can in the distance and sprint to it. Jog to your next target and keep repeating. When using a treadmill, you can increase your intensity by raising the incline, increasing your speed, or both. The same goes for the bike or elliptical.
Doing a good interval workout means breaking out of your comfort zone. An interval should be performed at 80 to 95 percent of your maximum heart rate (MHR). A recovery period should be between 60 and 75 percent MHR, to allow your muscles to work aerobically and use up stored carbohydrates.
If you don't have a heart rate monitor, simply judge your heart rate by how you are breathing and the "talk test." During intervals you should not be able to say more then a few sporadic words, but by the end of your recovery you should be able to speak in complete sentences.
Interval training uses both the aerobic and anaerobic systems. During intervals of harder work your muscles are anaerobic, or without oxygen. They have to look to the glycogen stored within your muscles for fuel. When this glucose is broken down for energy, the by-product is lactic acid, which gives you the "burn."
As your body becomes used to this workout routine, your muscles are able to tolerate more lactic acid, which means you can work harder and longer. This endurance helps when you are climbing a flight of stairs or rushing from one place to another. Interval training also helps burn fat, strengthens the heart and lungs and decreases the likelihood of injury.
Before any workout, make sure you warm up for at least five minutes. Increase your intensity so you reach 80 to 95 percent MHR. Keep at this pace for anywhere from 30 seconds to two minutes, depending on your fitness level. Then allow yourself to recover at 60 to 75 percent MHR for up to two minutes. Repeat this for 20 minutes. As you get in better shape, you should increase the intensity or duration of your intervals.
Intervals can be done anywhere. When running outdoors, pick out an object like a telephone pole or trash can in the distance and sprint to it. Jog to your next target and keep repeating. When using a treadmill, you can increase your intensity by raising the incline, increasing your speed, or both. The same goes for the bike or elliptical.
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