Greenbook: A Local Guide to Chesapeake Living -Issue 11 | Page 44

I
nterval training is a proven strategy that relies on alternating high
intensity bursts of active exercise with lower intensity rest periods.
Runners, swimmers, bikers, weight lifters, cross fitters, martial art-
ists and even the everyday athlete benefits from this methodology. In-
tervals shouldn’t be intimidating. They are as suitable for children as
for adults, and for beginners as well as elite athletes.
The power of interval training lies in how it benefits the body’s car-
diovascular system. Essentially, intervals work your heart; a stronger
heart rate means you can get more oxygen—the fuel for power—into
your muscles. By improving your aerobic capacity, you can exercise for
longer, stronger periods of time.
There is increasing evidence that interval training may benefit exer-
cisers by allowing them to burn more calories in a shorter period of
time compared to continuous intensity exercise. For example, a swim-
mer who regularly challenging bursts of speed or distance into their
one-hour workouts may burn more calories and increase their strength
and endurance than the athlete who swims at a continuous pace over
the same period of time.
OTHER BENEFITS OF INTERVAL
TRAINING INCLUDE:
• A
 bility to exercise for longer and
more intense levels
• A
 bility to burn more calories and
increase metabolism
• A
 bility to manage risk factors
of ma jor diseases like metabolic
syndrome, cardiovascular disease,
obesity and diabetes.
• Ability to speed up weight loss.
How Does It Work?
Choose a challenging amount of time and a correspondingly challenging amount
of rest. Push yourself to your own specific limits; you can set your intervals at
whatever level of intensity you want. For example, start with 2 minutes of high
intensity exercise such as swimming, biking, rowing or running, jump-rope, squat
thrusts, box jumps, pushups or battle rope followed by 30 seconds to 1 minute of
rest. Track your distance, time and repetitions and write down these numbers.
INTERVALS SHOULDN’T BE INTIMIDATING.
THEY ARE AS SUITABLE FOR CHILDREN
AS FOR ADULTS, AND FOR BEGINNERS AS
WELL AS ELITE ATHLETES.
Your goal is to increase the intensity and time of the cardiovascular interval and to
keep the rest period static or even decrease it. If you put your body under stress, it
is going to adjust to where that activity isn’t as stressful anymore, and this is how
you will progress.
Plan to do interval workouts at least three times a week. Adding resistance train-
ing at least twice a week is important, as is varying your mode of exercise. If you
are a tri-athlete, try interval training in the gym with the battle rope, slide board or
weighted balls. If you like cross fit, get out of the box and onto the road.
The hardest part of interval training is waiting to see a difference in your strength
or endurance, largely because these benefits depend on what you are doing out-
side of the workout. Are you getting sleep? Are you drinking plenty of water? Are
you following a nutrition plan for whatever sport or activity you are training for?
Are you taking the right supplements at proper times? All of these are vital to your
training or weight loss goals.
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GREENBOOK | SUMMER 2017
THE KEY TO SUCCESSFUL
INTERVAL TRAINING:
HYDRATE- People forget to
drink a lot of water, which
is like oil to a car. Aim to
drink at least 50% of your
body weight in ounces.
EAT HEALTHY- Nutrition
plans vary. Be sure to
eat a diet rich in complex
carbohydrates, clean
proteins and a variety of
plants, nuts and seeds.
PRACTICE- Interval
success is founded on
good old-fashioned pushing
yourself out of your
comfort zone