And, if you're like me, you've seen the laundry list of these benefits. Benefits you can't get from traditional long, slow cardio. To recap:
? Interval training can decrease the risk of heart attack, stroke, high blood pressure and the onset of diabetes
? Interval training can burn more fat than traditional cardio ? even burning fat up to 24 hours after the end of your exercise session
? Interval training has been shown to be the best type of exercise to reduce belly fat ? a leading indicator in the development of metabolic syndrome
? Interval training can teach your body to burn fat first during activity
? Interval training can add lean muscle to your frame ? muscle that boosts your metabolism, helping you burn more calories
? Interval training can hep increase the release of Human Growth Hormone ? the essential substance in building and repairing muscle, keeping bones healthy and burning fat naturally
Why Doesn't Everyone Interval Train?
"Why doesn't everyone do interval training,"you might be thinking, "when it does all of these great things?"
Because you must be a little bit cautious in switching to high intensity training. You must build up gradually so that you don't risk getting hurt. It's difficult to just jump right into high intensity training.
I ran into this issue myself when I tried to get back into interval training in my mid-30's. I tried to go back to the workouts I had done 10 or 15 years earlier ? and I paid a price.
The method I tried to use involved running sprints at the local high school track. And it worked in that I felt better, had more energy and dropped some serious fat. But, trying to be a little too gung ho, I forgot that my body hadn't moved this way in a long time. As a result, I started to run into problems like pulled hamstrings, strained calf muscles and sore Achilles tendons...
The Safest Interval Training Method
That's when I started to look around for a better way to run my intervals. And what I found worked wonders.
I decided to go back to basics. To go back to a workout that I had used in high school (and seen plenty of elite athletes incorporate into their training). The answer that I found to making interval training safer was: the hill sprint.
The only change I made to my interval training was to take it to a hill instead of sprinting on a flat. The difference was dramatic.
Less Chance of Injury
First of all, running intervals on an incline made all of my little nagging muscle pulls and tweaks disappear. I was able to train at a high intensity without having to worry about injury.
One reason for this is that sprinting on an incline decreases the impact that running has on your body. Flat surface sprinting can place a lot of pounding on your shins, knees and back. Hill sprints alleviate most of this high impact punishment. Studies have shown that adding even a slight incline to your running decreased the impact on your lower legs by as much as 26%.
Interval training on hills is also safer for your hamstrings ? one of the most commonly seen sites of injury when increasing the intensity of your workouts. Because your stride is shortened slightly when going up hill, you tend not to over-stride and pull with your hamstrings. But, in this case, you plant close under your center of gravity, switching the focus to your leg muscles that push. This means you can run fast, and have less of a chance of pulling the old hammies.
Get Results Faster
The second reason that hill sprinting is a great way to interval train is that it's an easy way to increase the intensity of your workout, no matter what your current level of fitness is. Just by going up a hill (or stairs, or bleachers), the intensity of your workout is automatically increased. If you currently walk, walking uphill will be "high" intensity. If you can sprint, sprinting uphill will raise the intensity even further. And if you are somewhere in between, the hill will provide the same benefits.
What this means is that you can start interval training right away. You don't have to work up as gradually as you would doing flat sprints. Your progression from walking to sprinting can be done in a shorter period of time.
Get More Done in Less Time
Finally, using hills for interval training can decrease the length of your workouts. Again, because the incline raises the intensity, it is not necessary to go as far or as long as you would with flat surface intervals. Give them a try and you'll be surprised how fast you are "huffing and puffing" as recommended for maximum health benefits.
If you've been putting off the start of your interval training because you don't want to get hurt, I've just given you a solution to your problem. Taking your intervals to the hills, stairs or bleachers will allow you to start RIGHT NOW. This training can be safer than flat intervals and just as effective. In fact, potentially even more effective in a given period of time.
No more excuses. Time for you to get results.
Mobile Interval Training Timer
We've all faced days when lack of motivation has dominated our thoughts and our actions, when we didn't even want to get out of bed, let alone doing our workout. Perhaps you're at the office, hiding behind a mountain of paperwork or facing deadlines, all of your own creation, because you are simply not wanting to face the fact that you need to be working out. What you need more than anything during these moments is to work out.
You may also have other reasons - perhaps you've has a great day with the family and the very last thing you want to do after having a good time with your spouse and kids is to make yourself miserable with a long, hard workout. We all experience this situation too.
What we all tend to forget in these situations is how good you feel once the workout is over. You'll have that sense of well being, having accomplished something and a renewed feeling of physical vigor.
When you need to just get to the gym and get that workout done, how do you make yourself just get up and go? What can keep you from giving in to the urge to just sit there and not workout?
There are several ways to get you going on your workout. One way to get you through a tough workout is to promise yourself a reward after the workout is done. Pick something you like, something that would carry you through the rough road ahead and get you to complete you workout. It could be a favorite movie or television show, new songs for you Ipod, or even extra time with your family.
The opposite could be an effective motivation, too. You could punish yourself for missing out on your workouts. For this, you would have to give up something. It could be cash, or that favorite TV show, something that would hit you hard for missing those workouts. It can't be anything that is no big deal to you, or this won't work. It has to be something that would help you fight to keep up with those workouts. Make sure for this to work for you that you enlist the support of family and friends, because you couldn't punish yourself alone. It would be too easy for you to skip on the workout and skip out on the punishment also.
One other technique you can try is to make a list of your workout objectives and review this list daily. By keeping your goals in mind, you'll find it easier to accomplish them. You'll also have the list to remind you when you are slipping from your workout plan.
The hardest part of any workout plan is simply getting motivated to start. Whether you work out at the gym or in your own home, remember that if you can just clear the obstacle of getting started, the rest is easy.
Are you still reading this? Get going. You've a workout to get motivated to finish.
Both Tim Kauppinen & Kyle Richey are contributors for EditorialToday. The above articles have been edited for relevancy and timeliness. All write-ups, reviews, tips and guides published by EditorialToday.com and its partners or affiliates are for informational purposes only. They should not be used for any legal or any other type of advice. We do not endorse any author, contributor, writer or article posted by our team.
Tim Kauppinen has sinced written about articles on various topics from Fitness, Health and Fitness. Tim Alan Kauppinen, or Coach K, has over 20 years experience as an athlete and coach. He has developed champion athletes across multiple sports through speed training, strength improvement and conditioning. Coach K is the author of the Uphill Fitness Tr. Tim Kauppinen's top article generates over 110000 views. to your Favourites.
Kyle Richey has sinced written about articles on various topics from Acne Treatment, Skin Care and Wrinkles. Can't seem to find the best program for you? Check out this. Kyle Richey's top article generates over 22200 views. to your Favourites.
