If you have read any fitness magazines lately than you are sure to have seen articles on interval training. It has become increasingly popular in recent years. With so much emphasis being put on health and fitness it is important to understand new and interesting ways of exercising and getting fit.
What is Interval Training?
Interval training is a type of training, or exercise program that uses bursts of high intensity work and periods of lower intensity work. These periods of time are called intervals. For instance a person who is doing interval training may walk for a certain amount of time, then sprint as fast as they can for a period of time followed by walking again for a period of time and so on.
Interval training can be done with any type of cardiovascular workout such as cycling, running, rowing, and swimming. The key is to mix brief bouts of almost maximum exertion interspersed with periods of lower intensity levels.
Professional athletes often use interval training to improve their speed and endurance but anyone can benefit from doing interval training. It can be modified and tailored to meet any fitness level and every ability.
Coaches have become ardent supporters of interval training because it is effective in building up cardiovascular endurance. The high exertion interval give athletes a high level and intense workout while the lower intensity intervals of exercise allow the athlete to recover and catch their breath before beginning the more intense interval level again.
The Benefits of Interval Training
Interval Training Can Save Time
First of all it saves time. You can get the same great workout and burn the same amount of calories in less time. It is also a great way to get past a troublesome plateau and move on to the next level of fitness.
Interval Training Can Beat Boredom
Interval training is also a great way to stave off boredom and give your workout a new level of excitement and energy. The variety that interval training adds can help you to keep from getting bored with your typical routine.
Interval training is a great way to spice up your workout routine and make it fun and challenging. Interval training is also an excellent way to up the ante on your workout routine and burn extra calories in the same amount of time.
Interval Training Is More Efficient
Interval training also helps to improve your overall cardiovascular fitness level. After you have done interval training for awhile you will notice that you can finish your sixty minute walk in only forty five minutes.
Or you can keep your sixty minute workout time and burn that many more calories in the extra fifteen minutes of work. The bottom line is that your body will work harder and burn more calories in the same amount of time.
When you exercise, the more vigorously you work out the more calories you will burn. This is true even if the higher intensity levels are only for a short period of time.
Interval Training Boosts The Metabolism
Interval training challenges the aerobic and anaerobic systems at the same time. This helps the body to burn more calories and improves the body’s ability to work more efficiently. The additional muscle that is built from doing interval training will speed up your metabolism and burn more fat, even when you are not doing any exercises at all.
Does Interval Training Work For Reducing Body Fat?
Studies have been done on the effectiveness of interval training. In two separate studies it was concluded that people who used interval training burned more fat in the same time period than when they did not use interval training.
Nothing is more frustrating than spending time and energy working out in the gym and not seeing or feeling any benefits or difference in your body. The benefits that people see as a result of doing interval training will propel them to continue on with the training which will result in even more amazing progress.
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