Interval training techniques are vast and can be applied to a wide range of exercise forms, not necessarily cardio based. The concept relies on a change of heart rate and working at different levels of intensity at regular intervals.
The aim is to improve recovery rate, which in turn will improve fitness and burn fat calories.
This simple interval session will help to mix up your regular routine and can be done on cardio machines in a gym, or better still outside on a bike, walking or running. It is important to adjust the session to ensure you are working at your own personal rate.
Interval training session
- 10 minute warm up – this should be done either on your bike, walking or jogging gently and should include some joint mobility, dynamic stretching and in the last couple of minutes of your warm up, some short bursts to raise your heart rate.
- 1 min 30 secs – hard work rate. 80-90% of maximum heart rate (MHR). you should increase your pace/effort on either bike, running or fast marching so that you cannot with hold a conversation and you are out of breath at the end of the interval
- 2 mins 30 secs – recovery time, you should slow your pace/effort down so that after the interval you can easily withhold a conversation (60-70% of MRH)
- You should repeat the above interval set 5 times, for a total time of 20 minutes.
- 10 minute cool down, including 3 mins of gradually slowing down your pace and at least 7 minutes stretching your major muscle groups.
If you exercise regularly already, you can turn the intervals around and do 2 mins 30 secs – fast and 1 min 30 secs slow. You could also increase the length of the interval session by adding an extra 1-2 sets.
You should feel like this was a pretty tough session, so it is your responsibility on the hard intervals to make sure you get your heart rate up!! Don’t forget to let us know how you get on with this on our facebook page
