One time at the gym, I noticed a man on the treadmill next to me running at irregular speeds over and over again. I was maintaining my running speed but he would run at a normal pace for several minutes then increase his speed to run as fast as he could for another few minutes. I had no clue as to why he would do this so I mentioned it to my sister and she said, "he was interval training." I still had no idea what that meant so I did some research.
What is Interval Training?
Interval training involves short bouts of repetitive high speed exercises followed by periods of low activity exercises. The benefits of interval training include improved cardiovascular performance as well as helping to prevent injuries that can occur during repetitive endurance exercises. However, one of the best benefits is that interval training burns more calories than a typical long endurance workout.
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Sample Interval Training on a Treadmill
You should consult with your doctor before attempting any form of interval training or exercise program. A sample treadmill interval workout would include:
- Warm up - at least 10 minutes of a light jog or walking.
- Training - run 0.5 miles at the highest pace you can maintain, then rest 3 - 5 minutes, repeat.
- Cool down - 10 minutes light jog or walking.
It helps to seek the advice of a professional such as a personal trainer when planning an interval training workout. I feel once you have a good program to follow and clearance from your doctor, you can reap the most benefits from including interval training into your fitness routine.
{ 4 comments… read them below or add one }
There are lots of ways to interval train – you can also do it based on time instead of miles. I also enjoy doing interval training on the treadmill when I’m not feeling supermotivated for a long run.
Great article. I do HIIT once a week at a soccer park next to my house. 10 times I sprint 100 the field and walk back; though the last 3 are more like a run over and crawl back =). I like the site, i just subscribed.
Hi!
On some machines like on my first gym(SATS; I choose like run 10 minutes then chose level 6 or something and it automatically interval sett inteself. I have now joined a new gym(friskis & svetis) and can not find this level. Anyone who knows what I don’t know?
Thanks
Fitt for fight
i do run at fast speed for 30 seconds, then jog for 90 seconds, then fast 30 sec, jog 90 sec… repeat. i find this better than people saying they run for many minutes instead, i think you should keep your interval time elapsed small