It has come to my attention that I wrote the last post in some what of a hurry and didn’t really talk a whole lot about Interval Training. Interval training consists of high intensity exercises for a short period of time followed by a period of rest. A complete set will contain both the high intensity workout interval plus a rest interval. Each set usually is measured by time, but can be measured by distance too if you are sprinting or doing an exercise of that nature. The rest interval doesn’t necessarily need to consist of complete inactivity, but a rest period should contain a low intensity workout to allow your hear rate return to its baseline and let your body recover.

The set that was giving to me to start doing working on consists of 90 second sets. Each set will contain an rest interval that is longer then the exercise interval. However with each set, the interval time will progressively get longer while still maintaining a high intensity workout of 100% max output. As stated before, here is a sample routine of the workout given to me.

Set 1

15 second high intensity workout interval
75 second rest interval

Set 2

20 second high intensity workout interval
70 second rest interval

Set 3

25 second high intensity workout interval
65 second rest interval

Etc…

This will repeat between 8 – 10 sets. As you can see, it can get pretty intense. My chiropractor recommended that I always keep the rest interval longer then workout interval. Perhaps you can pyramid your way to a 40 second workout interval and then back down.

Now an important issues to address. Your heart rate. It is important to have a heart rate monitor while training. Your heart rate gives you and idea of where your body is. Also there are certain zones that are for aerobic, fat burning, and rest. Knowing where your heart rate is will give you an idea what zone your body is working at.

Get your self a decent heart rate monitor. If you have an Android or iPhone, take advantage of all the different applications that can help you track your workout. I personally use CardioTrainer by Smart Labs for the Android to track my workout. Optionally there is heart rate monitor you can buy to that will connect to the program via bluetooth to keep track of your heart rate while on the workout. This is good information to keep track of while you are on your mission to get healthy.

Now with your heart rate monitor, keep an eye on your heart rate. It is measured in Beats Per Minute (BPM). Your baseline heart rate should be between 130 BPM – 150 BPM depending on your age. The younger you are, the higher the number. This holds true for workout interval. During the workout interval, you will want to keep your heart rate between 180 – 200 BPM. If you are 30+ years old, you will want to stick to a 170 – 180 BPM heart rate during the workout interval.

Now the idea is to keep you heart rate at 180 BPM for the duration of the workout interval. Say your workout interval is 30 seconds long. You will want to keep your heart rate at 180 BPM for 30 seconds. Then during your rest interval, bring your heart rate down and then maintain it at around 140 BPM for the remaining 60 seconds of the set. Your set is complete and then you continue to the next set until your sets are complete.

A working example:

Set 1 – Sprinting

30 second workout interval – 30 seconds of sprinting
60 second rest interval – 60 seconds of brisk walking.

Set 2 – 8 Sprinting
repeat set 1.

Another example:

Set 1 – Burpies
30 second workout interval – 30 seconds of 100% max effort burpies
60 second rest interval – 60 seconds of rest or walking (monitor and keep the heart rate at 130 BPM)

Set 2 – 8 Burpies
Repeat set 1.

Also don’t forget to keep an eye on heart rate during the workout. If at anytime it starts exceed the aerobic threshold of 180 BPM, scale back on the output to bring it back down. You want to keep the heart rate up at healthy levels without over working your heart. For older folks and people who aren’t accustomed to high intensity workouts, this is especially important to watch as to make sure you don’t over work your heart and cause cardiac arrest (heart attack). This is a highly effective workout and you can get your workout done about 20 minutes a day. Keekp in mind to rotate muscle groups each day and allow your body adequate rest in between muscle groups. On average keep your rest times to about 48 – 72 hours between muscle groups. If you work your arms on Monday, then give it a rest and work it again on Thursday. This will ensure that each group has had proper amount of time to rest and recoop to maximize burn and growth and minimize injury.

This particular style of exercise is great for Exercise Post-Oxygen Consumption (EPOC), or also what we know as the workout “Afterburn”. The amount of calories consumed after the workout. As made famous in the workout program “The Truth About Six Pack Abs”, interval training is known to have the highest rate of afterburn, followed by weight lifting. Great exercise for those you looking to drop fat and gain lean muscle fast.

Stay motivated and keep up the good work. For those of you following this, I’d love to hear your progress with this!