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 want to take your workout to the next level

Once you’ve mastered basic interval training, there’s room to move up to high-intensity interval training (HIIT), a technique that is typically reserved for seasoned exercisers or athletes.

A popular HIIT method known as Tabata comes from a 1996 study published in the journal Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise. Based on a 2-to-1 work-to-recovery ratio, a Tabata workout typically includes 6 to 10 high-intensity intervals performed at close to maximum intensity, with rest periods performed at moderate intensity. The goal is to complete the intervals within 15 to 20 minutes.

In the study, Japanese researchers compared the effects of a moderately intense cycling endurance program to one that included high-intensity intervals. When study subjects cycled at 70% of their VO2 max (the maximum amount of oxygen your body can take in and convert to energy, also a measure of physical fitness) for 60 minutes a day, 5 days a week, there were no significant changes in subjects’ anaerobic capacities after 6 weeks. However, when researchers assigned subjects to a 6-week HIIT cycling workout (7 or 8 sets of 20-second exercise at 170% VO2 max with 10 seconds of rest in between each burst of speed) performed 5 days a week, subjects’ anaerobic capacities improved by 28%.

Despite the performance appeals of high-intensity intervals, don’t go overboard. It’s important to take days off when you are performing HIIT workouts, says Kelso. “We often times forget about recovery, that our bodies have to deal with this added stress,” he says. “Remember that exercise is like medicine. It’s a dosage—and if you take too much or too little, it can be detrimental.”

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