Intervals – Effective & Efficient
Men’s Fitness, Page 114, April 2005
Interval training is the fitness world’s equivalent of a visit to the in-
laws. The shorter and more intense the visit, the better. Research suggests
that intervals are superior to longer cardio workouts for fat loss and
sports conditioning, while also being a secret weapon for endurance
athletes.
An interval is a short period of exercise performed at a given intensity for
a specific length of time. Each interval is separated from the next interval
by a short rest or lighter activity. There are no strict rules on how long
or how intense the interval must be, however, changing the interval length
or intensity changes the way your body works and responds to exercise. For
example, intervals can train either the anaerobic (short-term) energy system
or the aerobic (long-term) energy system.
Never sacrifice the quality of rest between intervals because this will only
reduce the benefits. To succeed with intervals, you must first shake the
mindset of traditional continuous cardio training.
No matter where you start with intervals, heed this warning. The high-
intensity nature of the exercise can cause muscle soreness you’d associate
only with weights, and can cause your legs to feel like j-e-l-l-o.
Fat Loss
What most people don’t know is that intervals are the best cardio method for
fat loss. Most guys in the gym are hung up on doing excessive amounts of
work, but shorter, more intense intervals get the job done better. Intervals
continue to burn calories and fat after the training session, and that’s
something you won’t get from slower, longer sessions of cardio. When
Canadian researchers compared interval training and long, slow cardio
training, it was interval training that was shown to be more effective for
fat loss.
Use this workout 3-5 times per week to blast fat.
Start with this beginner protocol:
• Warm-up for 5-minutes.
• Work for 30 seconds at an 8/10 level of intensity.
• Follow that with “active rest” for 90 seconds at a 3/10 level of
intensity.
• Repeat for 3-8 intervals.
• Finish with 15 minutes of traditional cardio for “transition” and
cool-down.
As you become accustomed to intervals, progress to the experienced protocol:
• Warm-up for 5-10 minutes.
• Work at a 9/10 level of intensity for 30 seconds.
• Follow that with “active rest” for 60 seconds at a 3/10 level of
intensity.
• Repeat for 4-10 intervals.
• Finish with 5 minutes of low intensity exercise for a cool-down.
Sports Conditioning
To improve aerobic fitness, guys have traditionally used long, tedious
sessions of low-intensity exercise without considering whether this really
meets the demands of their sport. Most sports require periods of high-
intensity effort separated by periods of low-intensity movement. When it
comes to getting in shape for team sports, improving your time trial
performance, or blasting through an endurance training plateau, the better
alternative to traditional cardio is the unconventional methods of interval
training.
Research has shown that performing repeated 30-second sprints can increase
your aerobic fitness. This trains your muscles to work at higher intensities
and stimulates your muscles to produce energy faster. A second interval
method for improving fitness is aerobic interval training where each
interval lasts 2-3 minutes.
The biggest benefits you’ll achieve from sports conditioning intervals are
improvements in your muscle’s ability to work at high-intensities for
repeated bouts. So you can play extra hard for extra shifts on the ice
without experiencing dead legs. Athletes should train for competition at
exercise intensities specific to their event.
Your heart and lungs will also benefit, but intervals are really about
changes in your muscles. That’s why you want to choose a mode of exercise
that is as specific to your sport as possible. If you play soccer, you run.
If you play hockey, get some ice time and squeeze in some intervals after a
game of pick-up. And if you mountain bike, well, mountain bike.
In the off-season, use each of these workouts 1-2 times per week in addition
to your regular speed and fitness training for sports.
Workout A – Same workout as above (30 second sprints).
Workout B – Aerobic Intervals
Start with this beginner protocol:
• Warm-up for 5-minutes.
• Run or cycle for 2-3 minutes at a pace you could maintain for 8-10
minutes.
• You should almost reach your maximum heart rate at the end of the
interval.
• Record the distance you covered during this time. A relatively fit
Joe will probably run about 600 meters in 2 minutes at a proper pace.
• Rest (active rest = walking around at a very low intensity) for an
equal length of time you spent in the interval.
• After the rest, run the same distance and try to repeat the same
time as the first interval.
• Rest an equal length of time to the second run.
• Repeat 1-4 more times for a total of 3-6 intervals as a beginner.
• For advanced endurance athletes, a total of 10 intervals is tops.
• Finish with 5 minutes of low intensity exercise for a cool-down.
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