Slogging through another hour on the treadmill or the same four miles on the running track day after day can get boring. You can also plateau and stop seeing improvement. When the workload doesn't change, neither does your body or your performance. That's where interval training comes in. Not only does it add variety to your cardio workout, but performed properly, it has been shown to increase both aerobic and anaerobic performance. This means you will eventually go faster for a longer period of time.
Interval Training
Interval training involves alternating fast and slow periods during a cardio workout. The intervals are pre-determined, measured by either time or distance, and performed at a 1-to-3 work/rest ratio. For example, sprinting for 30 seconds followed by jogging for 90 seconds, or jogging for 30 seconds and walking for 90 seconds. It's not so much about your speed, but about the difference between your fast and slow intervals. Your fast interval should make you work hard, and your slow interval should allow you to recover. When the slow interval only allows you to slow to a moderate pace, it's called high-intensity interval training, or HIIT.
Aerobic Benefits
The aerobic benefits of interval training are just like the benefits of any aerobic exercise. Getting your heart pumping increases the amount of oxygen in your blood, and your blood vessels open up to allow the oxygen to get to your muscles. Over time, they remain more open even after exercise, which means that the oxygen flows more freely through your body, and your overall stamina will increase. Your body is active, doing what it was made to do. Your brain releases endorphins that brighten your mood, and your good cholesterol goes up while your bad cholesterol goes down. Your risk of chronic disease sinks and your general mobility climbs.
Anaerobic Benefits
The anaerobic side is where interval training shines. Your fast intervals force your muscles to use their glycogen stores for fuel, producing the lactic acid that's responsible for the burning feeling of tired muscles. By alternating slow and fast periods, you give your body a chance to build up just a little lactic acid, and those wide-open blood vessels carry it away during the slow intervals. You build up more during the fast period, and let it subside again during the slow period. Repeating this process over and over teaches your body how to quickly produce fuel from glycogen and efficiently carry it away. Eventually, this means you'll be able to go faster because your muscles recruit energy better, and you'll be able to go longer because your body flushes out the waste quicker.
Fartlek Training
Fartlek training is a type of interval training in which the intervals are not pre-determined. You go as fast as you want until you can't anymore, then you go slow until you're ready to go fast again. You still reap the same benefits, but because you go by how you feel, you can gradually increase your overall speed without hitting the wall too soon or risking overuse injuries.
References
- American Council on Exercise; What is High Intensity Interval Training and What Are the Benefits?; Pete McCall; November 18, 2009
- American Council on Exercise: Interval Training
- MayoClinic.com; Interval Training: Can it Boost Your Calorie-Burning Power?; February 6, 2010
- "Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research"; Aerobic and Anaerobic Changes with High-Intensity Interval Training in Active College-Aged Men; Ziemann E, et al.; July 2010
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