By Cliff Pape
When it comes to cardio, there are always many questions regarding how much, what type, how long and what intensity. While results can be achieved with all types and intensity, most people want to accomplish the most in as little time as possible - this is where interval training can come in to provide serious fat loss results in as short of time per session as possible.
What is interval training? It is a method of cardio (can also be used in strength training) with periods of intense training followed by a rest or recovery period. For example, an interval cardio training workout could consist of 30 seconds of full intensity, running at the fastest speed for an individual, followed by 90 seconds of walking or jogging, depending on conditioning.
Why and how does interval training burn more fat? Interval workouts enables you to burn more calories in a shorter amount of time because of the higher intensity periods. You can not maintain full speed for 20 minutes but you can for a few, and number of calories burned at full speed is significantly higher than a lower intensity pace. Interval training also has shown in studies that someone using an interval workout will burn more fat in a 24-hour period and loses less muscle - more muscle preserved means faster metabolism, which means more fat is burn! Talk about bang for you buck - you get to fat burning benefits from interval training!
Interval training also does not let your body adapt to a particular activity. The body is designed to become more efficient and burns less calories when the same activity is done repeatedly, which lowers your calories burned.
How to incorporate interval training in your cardio workouts? It's very simple, just have periods of all out activity followed by a recovery period. Beginners should start with 15 seconds of full intensity and followed by active recovery of 1 minute and 45 seconds of a comfortable fast pace. For intermediate workouts, start with 30 seconds of full intensity followed by 1 minute and 30seconds of a comfortable fast pace of active recovery.
Recommended treadmill workout for beginners:
5 minute warm-up
15 seconds of running full speed
1 minute 45 seconds of walking at 3.5 miles
Repeat for 20 minutes
Treadmill workout for intermediate:
5 minute warm-up
30 seconds of running full speed
1 minute 30 seconds of walking at 4.0 miles
Repeat for 20 minutes
Treadmill workout for advanced:
5 minute warm-up
45 seconds to 1 minute of running full speed
Rest for 30 seconds
Repeat for 20 minutes
For more information on fitness and weight loss tips visit: http://www.cliffpt.com/thetrainerlife
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Cliff_Pape
No comments:
Post a Comment