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Is it still interval training if the work segment exceeds 60 seconds?
Monday, February 27, 2012 - 09:54

Yes. But it is not high intensity interval training (HIIT). In HIIT, the work segment is so strenuous that you cannot do it for longer than 30 seconds.

So if you find that you can keep stepping onto that box for longer than 30 seconds, this is not HIIT. If you can keep doing this for longer than a few minutes, it’s not even general interval training.

The interval should be challenging enough such that it cannot be sustained for longer than a few minutes.

So in the case of a stepping stool or box, something must be modified to bring on high fatigue. You must know how to tweak your program to impose a high demand on your body.

In the case of stepping, a higher stepping surface will increase intensity. Other ways to increase intensity include: faster stepping speed, adding a jump to every step, adding a squat every time you step onto the box, or adding a squat jump every time you step onto the box.

What Kinds of Exercises Can Interval Training Apply to?
Monday, February 27, 2012 - 09:54

Interval training can be any kind of movement that, when done with enough intensity, leaves you very fatigued within a brief period of time.

Modes of activity for interval training are those that are “aerobic” or “cardio” in nature, that can be sustained for long periods of time, such as walking, pedaling, jogging, skating, snow-shoeing and swimming.

Interval training can be done on any cardio equipment, including cross-country ski simulators and the revolving staircase. Other venues for interval training, including high intensity, include:

  • Inline skating – hills will be necessary for better-conditioned people.
  • Trail running – intensity intervals can be done on steeper grades and/or by running faster.
  • Steep hill walking, trotting or sprinting
  • Staircase dashing or two-step climbing
  • Jump roping – intensity can be increased by jumping faster and/or higher.
  • Box jumping – increase intensity by using a taller box, jumping faster or holding light dumbbells.
  • Martial arts sparring
  • Miscellaneous plyometrics (jumping) such as forward lunge jumping, squat jumping, side-to-side lunge jumping and burpees (combines squat jump with pushup).
  • Box or platform stepping (increase intensity by adding height, increasing speed, holding weights or adding deep squats in between steps)

The work interval is when you are performing high or all-out effort. The rest interval is the recovery phase during which you’re moving casually. Figure out what you must do, in your chosen workout venue, to produce considerable fatigue or complete exhaustion within about 15 seconds to 60 seconds.

4 Minute High Intensity Interval Training
Monday, February 27, 2012 - 09:53

This workout is only two complex moves that will kick your butt, believe me! Alternate between moves each round.

Move 1: Triple Jump- To start position yourself in lunge position with your hands out to the sides for balance. When your beeper goes off, complete a set of jumps moving from one jump to the next as quickly as you can with good form. Jump from lunge position, to jump squat, then jump lunge with the other leg forward, and back to jump squat. Here is the clincher, after the second jump squat explode off the floor into a jump tuck, which is when you jump up off the floor as high as you can and tuck your knees into your chest. During this move, make sure to land softly with your toes first. This will protect your knees.

Move 2: Push up Combo- Crouch down on the floor with your hands on the ground in front of you. Jump your legs back, into plank position, and then jump them both out to the sides at the same time as you do a push up. When you push up from the ground jump your legs back into plank position and jump your feet back into your chest into the starting position. Repeat this three move cycle until the 18 seconds are up.

This workout might seem simple and short, but once you do it, you’ll know what I’m talking about. You’ll be dripping with sweat and gasping for breath and damn proud of yourself! This high intensity interval training should not be done two days in a since it is so intense but using it on days when you are short on time is a great way to keep to your commitment to stay fit.

Fartlek Training Overview
Monday, February 27, 2012 - 09:53

Here’s a great blog post that describes the benefits of Fartlek training, over at www.notyouraveragefitnesstips.com. This kind of exercise program is much more manageable from a timing perspective with our very own Set Starter interval timer.

Advantages of Fartlek Training Session: An Interval Training Workout to Improve Anaerobic and Aerobic Endurance

What is Fartlek? It’s a term that means “speed play” in Swedish and is an interval training workout that involves continuous exercise alternated between low, medium, and high intensity intervals. The main advantages of Fartlek training are that it allows you to burn fat and also improve both anaerobic and aerobic endurance. In other words, it helps you to more efficiently perform really intense exercise as well as improving your overall aerobic capacity.

Recovery Time
Monday, February 27, 2012 - 09:53

Build muscle tone and increase endurance in less time. To get optimal results, muscles need to reach an ideal level of fatigue before being challenged again. Monitoring recovery time between sets is the most effective way to achieve this. Any successful training regimen – especially weight training – must incorporate recovery. More and more research and focus are being placed on the role of rest and recovery in successful training methods.

Fitness Research & Articles

Rest Periods Between Sets (http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/issa111.htm)

“Rest periods between sets is an integral and often overlooked contributor to the success of any strength training program. Chances are, you are not optimizing this crucial variable.”

How Long to Rest Between Sets (http://worldfitnessnetwork.com/rest-between-sets) “It doesn’t take a genius to realize that the more rest you take between sets, the more weight you’ll be able to lift when you do come back.”

Recovery Time (http://nelsonphysicaltherapy.com/recovery-time) “Often, fitness clients speed through the weight training and may skip the rest or recovery period between sets while lifting weights.”

Muscle Recovery Times (http://www.ehow.com/about_5423003_muscle-recovery-times.html) “Often, fitness clients speed through the weight training and may skip the rest or recovery period between sets while lifting weights.”

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