Cardio Workouts: Interval Training

The Best Interval Training Technique for You

Whether you’re on a mission to break your PR or drop a jeans size, adding intervals to your cardio routine puts you on the fast track to reaching your fitness goal
By Hollis Templeton fitbie
 

You need to lose weight

If you’re trying to slim down, a leisurely 1-hour walk around the track is better than sitting on the sofa, but experts agree that turning up exercise intensity a few days a week is the secret to real results—in half the time.

In fact, dozens of studies suggest that intervals can help you lose more weight than you would by performing steady-state cardio routines. In one report published in the Journal of Applied Physiology, eight women between the ages of 20 and 30 performed interval sessions on stationary bikes (10 sets of 4-minute bursts of riding at 90% effort followed by 2 minutes of recovery) every other day for 2 weeks. The women in the study burned 36% more fat during interval workouts compared with when they exercised at consistent intensities.

“Interval training [IT] is a great way to burn fat because it taps into EPOC—excess postexercise oxygen consumption,” says Raffle, explaining that an IT workout keeps your metabolism elevated for 2 to 3 hours following exercise. “You might find that you burn 150 to 200 additional calories per workout,” he says.

Working multiple systems at once will also turn up the calorie-burning power of your workout, while focusing on more intense bouts of activity at shorter durations helps you exercise more efficiently (read, log fewer hours at the gym).

“Interval training allows me to condense two workouts into one,” says Terri Walsh, creator of the Active Resistance Training Method and owner of A.R.T. Studio NYC. “Keeping strength and cardiovascular systems working simultaneously means more expended energy. It also means I can design customized workouts that keep muscular development balanced with flexibility, agility, muscular strength, and aerobic versus anaerobic capacity.”

Walsh suggests a routine composed of 1-minute alternating intervals, like this weight loss circuit she created. Complete the sequence twice.

1 minute plank
1 minute jog in place
1 minute rotating side plank
1 minute high knees
1 minute lunge balance
1 minute pushup/roll/pushup
1 minute lunge balance (other leg)
1 minute lateral raise
1 minute jog in place
1 minute side lunge
1 minute pushup/roll/pushup
1 minute side lunge (other side)
1 minute mountain climber
1 minute extended leg bicycle crunch
1 minute biceps curls
1 minute sun salutations (after the second round)

More: Run your butt off—literally. This walk-run program can help you jog off 10, 20, 30 pounds or more!

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