INVERVAL TRAINING: HOW TO DO IT AND WHAT IT DOES

Interval training is advanced but it is a great type of training to incorporate into a training program. With interval training, your body won’t enter a catabolic state because you are stressing different energy systems. This means that your body will not start to burn muscle and/or bone. The biggest thing you need to understand in these intervals is the work to rest ratio. The work to rest ratio should be between 1:1 to 1:3. For example, if you were to work at a 1:1 ratio, you could run hard for 3 minutes, then walk for 3 minutes.  If you were at a 1:3 ratio, for that same 3 minute period you went hard, you would walk for 9 minutes. You can even make the rest period a walk, an inclined walk, or a stop, depending on how intense the interval was.

Intervals should usually last between 3 and 5 minutes, but can be as short as 30 seconds.  Don’t start interval training until a base of aerobic training has been attained. The effects of interval training will allow your body to use oxygen more efficiently and will enhance your metabolic rate during anaerobic activity.

About this Author

After graduating from the National Personal Training Institute (NPTI) in Richmond Heights Ohio, Mat sat for and passed the test to earn his CSCS (certified strength and conditioning specialist). After spending over one and a half years of training in a gym setting, and becoming and instructor at NPTI, Matt started MK Fitness as a one-on-one or small group personal training company.