Training at intervals?

Training at intervals?
24 July 2014

In last week’s blog I mentioned that short intense workouts that can be done when weight training (HIT), why can’t the same principles be incorporated in to your cardiovascular fat burning program?
If you could burn fat efficiently in short intense bouts of exercise why spend hours on a treadmill flicking through the channels on the built in multimedia display to catch up on the soaps??
HIIT (High Intensity Interval Training) is a cardiovascular exercise method combining bursts of short intense anaerobic exercise with less-intense activity.
HIIT sessions can range from 4– 20 minutes.
These short, intense workouts provide improved athletic capacity and condition, improved glucose metabolism, and improved fat burning.
A HIIT session will begin with a warm up period, moving on to intervals of high intensity sprinting with moderate recovery periods in between followed by a cool down period.
Sprint intervals are recommended at almost full intensity with the rest intervals at 50% intensity.
Of course your initial fitness levels will determine ratios between sprinting / moderate intensity and also duration of activity.
An example would be 15 second sprints with 45 second intervals for just five minutes to start with.
It will be surprising how hard this will be at the start but as fitness levels increase the sprint to rest ratio can change along with the duration.

30 second sprints with 30 second intervals for twenty minutes can be very effective when it is achievable.
Can be done on many types of equipment - spin bike, cross trainer, running, cycling etc.
Advantages to HIIT can be:
Saves you time if you have a busy lifestyle!
Continues to burn fat after the activity ends!
Conserves muscle - have you seen any skinny sprinters?
Raises RMR (resting metabolic rate).
Increases maximal oxygen consumption (VO2 max).
Taxes both the anaerobic and aerobic energy releasing systems almost maximally.
Improves athletic performance.
Significantly lowers insulin resistance and causes skeletal muscle adaptations that result in enhanced skeletal muscle fat oxidation and improved glucose tolerance.
Many advantages can therefore be seen and it also saves you time. A few times a week is all it takes. Can be done as fasted am cardio before breakfast or even at the end of a weight training session.
Why not take a short interval in your busy schedule to give it a try?