Interval training has been shown to be the most effective cardiovascular training method for improving cardiovascular endurance, sport-specific performance, boosting metabolic rate, and burning fat!
With such amazing accolades to its name, interval training should be used by anyone and everyone interested in any of the aforementioned benefits.
But how do you start interval training? What type of interval training protocol do you follow?
To make your life much easier, I’ve taken the time to answer these questions by providing you with some tried, tested, and true interval training programs that will spice up your workouts – and in less time!
Throw these interval running workouts alongside your resistance training 2-3 times per week and just watch how you’re going to look and feel. Ensure that you get a good 5-10 minute warm-up before beginning your interval workouts.
What's wonderful about these interval training programs is that regardless of the purpose I've attached to each one, all three will help you burn substantial amounts of fat with consistent use. And as you'll see, you don't need to doing an hour of slow cardio to accomplish your fat loss goals.
Instead, fat loss comes down to intense, short burst activity. Think of sprinters - are they fat? Do they run for hours on end or do they sprint short distances?
INTERVAL TRAINING PROGRAM #1
Purpose: burning fat
Interval training protocol: 10 sec @ 100% : 30 sec @ 60% x 18 = 12 minutes
This running workout is probably easier to do outside instead of on the treadmill. The reason - most treadmills take too much time to adjust to the speed you choose. Considering these work intervals are only 10 seconds the treadmill may not even be at the desired speed by the end of the 10 second interval. Do this one outside and simply sprint, jog, sprint. It's as easy as that.
INTERVAL TRAINING PROGRAM #2
Purpose: speed/anaerobic running endurance (great for 5k runners)
Interval training protocol: 1 minute @ 85% : 2 minutes @ 60% x 5 = 15 minutes
This workout is much easier to do on a treadmill since the interval times are much longer than in program#1. Be sure to allow a few seconds for the treadmill to change speeds. At the same time, feel free to give this running workout a shot outdoors.
INTERVAL TRAINING PROGRAM #3
Purpose: aerobic power endurance and metabolism boost for maximum post-workout calorie “afterburn”.
Interval training protocol: 2 minutes @ 90% : 1 minute @ 60% x 4 = 12 minutes
This is a great running workout for those who really like to push their limits. Recovering half the amount of time that you're working makes this run very challenging. It mimics what most 800m sprinters would go through and will definitely leave you gasping for air - and that's good for burning fat!
BONUS VIDEO:
Watch this video and give this interval workout a shot as well.
