Beginner's Fitness Programs

Many people say “I love to get fit, but I don’t have time to spend hours in the gym…” Well, you cannot use this excuse anymore. Series of studies done at McMaster University in Canada showed that engaging in shorter, but higher-intensity interval training is far more beneficial than doing a long, low-intensity workout.

In their most recent study, they found that doing 20 minutes of interval training (10 sets of one minute of high-intensity sprints with one minute of rest between) three times a week is close to the equivalent of 10 hours of doing a continuous moderate workout!

Heriot-Watt University of Edinburgh Scotland also showed that regular sprints (say, a few times a week) canboost the metabolism, regulate blood sugar levels, and may prevent type 2 diabetes.

It is also known that this type of interval training burns more fats and improves fitness levels much faster than a constant but moderate intensity workout.

The benefits are huge. In one-tenth of the time, you get the same amount of muscle growth, improve the function and structure of blood vessels, heart function, raise your metabolism, and burn more fat!

But how hard is a “high-intensity” workout? For most of us, 95% of maximum heart rate. If you don’t know your maximum heart rate, go to How to Estimate Fat Burning Exercise Herat Rate, and change the 0.85 to 0.95 in the last equation to make rough estimate. If you don’t have a heart monitor, or you just want to “feel” the intensity level, check your breath. If you are breathing very hard at the end of the one minute interval, you are in the range. If you are in great shape, however, this may not be enough. The ninety-five percent level is about half of the intensity that most people can reach, and you should push farther.

For most of us, the best way to do interval training is to use a spinning bike, which a special type of stationary bike. If you have access to a gym. I strongly recommend you use a spinning bike. It is much safer than other cardio activities such as running, and much more effective than the traditional stationary bike. Even if you are a regular runner, you may want to start from a spinning bike. If you don’t have access to a spinning bike, a normal stationary bike can be used.

If you have been a runner for a long time, you may with to add a splint in your workout at a running track. Because you run faster, the impact on your knees is much higher than that of a normal running pace, and te normal pavement of the street may not be an ideal choice for you. If you live in a hilly area, you can do one minute of running uphill (some people use steps), and one minutesof slow walking downhill (don’t run down; it may damage your knees). Many people also use a treadmill, since it speeds up and down automatically, and even if you get tired, it keeps your pace!

If you are a regular elliptical machine user, it is hard to achieve the high intensity level, unless you really push it. Unlike using a treadmill, you need to move the machine actively, and many people don’t push hard enough to achieve the high intensity level.

If you are a swimmer, there is a different way to do it. If you breathe one breath for every two (or three) strokes, then try to double the number of strokes you take before breathig, and at the same time, swim faster. You can increase the lung capacity much more quickl.

Note that before you jump into the high intensity workout, I recommend that you spend 5 – 10 minutes doing a warm-up workout which brings up your heart rate to the regular workout level (50 – 70% of the maximum heart rate). If your body is not warmed up enough, you may pull your muscles. Even with this warm-up period, you can get 10 hours of cardio workout benefit in less than 2 hrs.

Sources;
A practical model of low-volume high-intensity interval training induces mitochondrial biogenesis in human skeletal muscle: potential mechanisms. The Journal of Physiology, 2010; DOI: 10
Extremely short duration high intensity training substantially improves insulin action in young healthy males. BMC Endocrine Disorders (2009)

University Of Guelph (2007, June 29). Interval Training Burns More Fat, Increases Fitness, Study Finds.

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