Beginner's Fitness Programs

In one of the previous articles, I mentioned that a  shorter interval training was much more effective for improving your cardio capacity than the conventional steady cardio workout. Well, now another evidence tells us that the interval training is also good for weight loss. 

A new study conducted at Montreal Hearth Institute, a program which combined interval training and healthy eating is significantly better than a traditional steady pace cardio workout plus dieting. After 9 months of program, 60 minutes three times a week, on average, the participants lost 5.5% of body fat, 5.15% waist circumference, and increased workout capacity of 15%. They also saw 7% decrease in bad cholesterol. 

Since interval training gives you greater benefit in shorter time, it should be a part of everyone’s workout program.

If you have not done any interval training, it is advisable to work with a trainer or attend a circuit training class at a gym, but if you don’t have either choices, here are some suggestions.

First of all, don’t push too hard at the beginning of the program. Since your body is not used to the interval training, you must increase the intensity gradually. It is also advisable to see your doctor and talk about it. Since you need to bring up your heart rate significantly higher than the normal cardio workout, if you have any heart problems, it may cause the heart troubles, rather than improving it. 

You can find your cardio workout target heart rate from the previous article. During the interval training, you need to bring up your heart rate above the cardio workout range, closer to the maximum heart rate, but at the beginning, just try to bring your heart rate above the cardio range. 

There is no single consensus about which exercise is the best (see New York Times article about What’s the Single Best Exercise?), but, in general, hill running up is thought to be the best among the interval trainings. Since it is quite hard, if you have not done much before, you may want to avoid this first (see below for an alternative).

If you have an access to a spinning bike, I recommend to start with that. It gives you a great interval training without much of the impact on your knees and other joints. You can substitute the spinning bike with a regular workout bike, but it is less efficient. After a short warming ride, pedal the bike as fast as you can at moderate resistance for one minute, then take easy for two minutes. Repeat the pattern for at least 10 minutes. Eventually, you want to repeat this pattern for 20 minutes. If you can workout for the 20 minutes easily, your resistance level is too low; so increase the resistance. 

If you don’t have an access to a bike, I recommend to do a “hill” walking instead of running. If you live a hilly neighborhood, find the steepest hill. If you live in a flat area, find a building or any other structures with stairs, at least, 3 street high. Walk up the hill or the stairs as fast as you can to the top, then slowly walk down. If you use the stairs, hold on to the rail when you come down. This prevents from an accidental fall and minimizes the impacts on the knees. Again, try this for 10 minutes at the beginning, and want to increase to 20 minutes. 

You can do the similar workout in the pool, with a jump rope, or even jogging at a spot in front of a TV. What you want to do is to bring up your heart rate as high as you can during the “hard” part. Check your heart rate when you are in the slow part.

Why 20 minutes? If you do the training correctly, you should be able to get all the benefit you need in the 20 minutes. Since we don’t have much time, why we should spend more time than we need. If you have an extra time, do weight training or starching. 

I need to repeat, however, the caution: Be safe. You want to be fit and healthy, not broken down and unhealthy. Know your body and always consult your doctor. If you can, use a trainer, especially at the beginning.

Source:
Interval training and healthy eating is solution to obesity, study shows Montreal Heart Institute (2011, April presented at the National Obesity Summit).

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