High-Intensity Interval Training Gets the Job Done in Less Time

Posted on Apr 15 in Featureby Michael StewartPrint

At this point there’s no disputing the fact that each and every one of us has to exercise on a regular basis in order to prevent diseases, lose weight, or even maintain our ideal weight. Traditionally we’ve been told to do 60 minutes of physical activity 3 to 5 times a week. However, carving out that hour can prove to be quite difficult for some. On the other hand those who can spare the time often find themselves bored as they spend an hour going through the same movements at the gym, day after day. As a result of these two factors, many of us never start an exercise routine, and if we do start, we tend to give up shortly afterwards. But there is another option that can help put both of these excuses to rest: HIT or High-Intensity Interval Training.

The basic idea behind HIT is to include short and frequent high intensity bursts in your routine so that you ultimately get all the health benefits you want in a short amount of time. So, rather than spend 45 minutes on the treadmill, walking at a steady incline and speed, you spend 25 minutes and kick up the intensity during regular intervals.

To understand why HIT is so effective, let’s take a quick look at the findings from a recent study at McMaster University in Ontario, Canada. The study employed seven, 21-year old men and put them through six, 20- to 25-minute sessions on a stationary bike, over a 2-week period. Each session had 8 to 12 one-minute, high-intensity bursts, and 75-second recovery phases at a lower intensity. The final results of the study showed improvements in exercise performance and overall muscle health and strength. The researchers reported that to get these same results with a regular, moderate intensity routine, the study participants would have had to do at least 10 hours of exercise, non-stop. Without a doubt, HIT wins this competition.

So, how do you go about applying the HIT concept to your workouts? You can do interval training with any cardio activity or machine be it the treadmill, elliptical, or a jump rope. Here’s an interval program designed for a treadmill:

Warm-up for 5 minutes at 3.8 mph, 0% incline

Increase the speed to 4.2mph and after every 2 minutes, increase the incline by 2% until you reach the maximum incline. Then reduce the incline by 2%, every 2 minutes, until you’re back to 0%

Cool down for 5 minutes at 3.8 mph, 0% incline

Assuming your treadmill’s maximum incline is 12%, this workout will take 35 minutes to complete..

If you wanted to vary this routine, you could also try a run/walk session:

Warm-up for 5 minutes at a speed of 3.8 to 4.0 mph, 0% incline

Increase the speed to 6.0 – 6.5 mph and run for 2 minutes. Next, reduce your speed to 4.2 mph and walk for 2 minutes. Alternate the cycles for a total of 24 minutes.

Cool down for 5 minutes at a speed of 3.8 – 4.0 mph, 0% incline

To get the benefits of HIT, you don’t have to limit yourself to changing the incline or resistance only. You can also put together a routine where you change the incline, followed by the speed, and so on. The goal is to constantly shock those muscles so they don’t get too comfortable!

HIT isn’t limited to cardio activities either. The concept can be applied to your strength training routines as well. Alternatively, you can do intervals that alternate between cardiovascular and strength training.

Try this on for size:
Run for 5 minutes.
Stop and do bicep curls for 2 minutes (choose a weight that you can sustain for at least a minute)
Run for 5 minutes
Stop and do as many pushups as you can for 2 minutes
Run for 5 minutes
Stop and do squats (with or without holding dumbbells) for 2 minutes
Run for 5 minutes
Stop and do lunges (with or without holding dumbbells) for 2 minutes.

Once again, the focus is on constantly shocking your muscles as you switch from one type of movement into another. The routines in this article are just a few suggestions to get you going on the HIT highway. You can easily apply the concepts presented here to your favorite activities so that you can reduce boredom, reduce the time you spend working out, and improve your physique and overall health.