Adding running to a regimen of regular exercise allows an athlete to burn more calories, improve aerobic fitness and strengthen vital muscles. However, running at the same pace for the same distance will inevitably lead to a plateau in a runner's performance. To avoid a stale, stagnant feeling in training, a runner can incorporate interval running into his routine, pushing the body to develop increased cardiovascular strength, burn more calories and improve overall speed and power.
How it Works
During interval running, a runner alternates between steady periods of light running and brief periods of intense running, usually lasting up to two minutes. A runner should measure intensity according to her maximum heart rate, which can be calculated using a heart-rate monitor or approximated by subtracting half a runner's age from the number 205. High-intensity intervals, at which a runner should achieve 80 percent to 90 percent of her maximum heart rate, should make up about one-third of the interval workout, while recovery intervals should be run at 50 percent to 60 percent of a runner's maximum heart rate. Recovery intervals allow a runner to restore oxygen to the body's muscles, priming them for the anaerobic exercise of the high-intensity intervals.
Improving Cardiovascular Strength
During intervals of high-intensity running, the body is not able to supply sufficient oxygen to the muscles being exercised. While this oxygen debt requires runners to keep these intervals brief, it also teaches the body to become more efficient at consuming oxygen. As the body adapts to an increased stress level during exercise, the heart strengthens, the flow of blood and oxygen to muscles improves and lactate threshold -- a measure of the body's ability to neutralize wasteful by-products from the consumption of glycogen energy -- is increased. All these factors add up to more speed and faster race times.
Maximizing Weight Loss
Because it forces a runner's heart to work at a higher rate, interval running burns more calories than longer periods of lower-intensity exercise. Better yet, a slightly increased heart-rate level can last for as long as 24 hours after an interval workout, sparking increased calorie burning long after a runner cools down. In addition to its calorie-burning benefits, the anaerobic nature of interval running can stimulate muscle growth, which in turn raises the body's metabolic rate.
Exercise with Caution
While interval running has more potential for burning calories, building muscle and improving performance than steady-state running, it also puts the athlete at increased risk for injury. Warming up at an easy pace for five to 10 minutes acclimates the heart and muscles for the high-intensity exercise and a cool down after an interval workout will help the body flush wasteful by-products out of its muscles. The day after an interval workout, a runner should stick to an easy pace during his run or cross-train, giving the body time to recover and ward off injury.
References
- HealthFitnessClub.com; Interval Training or Distance Running; November 2010
- Brian Mac Sports Coach: Endurance
- MotleyHealth.com; Interval Training Workouts for 20 Minutes a Day; Jon Wade; March 2009
- "Vail Daily"; Use It or Lose It? Interval Training Can Help; Ellen Miller; August 2011
- "Canadian Running"; Losing It: Interval Training for Weight Loss; Michelle Kempton; June 2010
- MarathonGuide.com; Heart Monitor Training; Alex Sinha
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