Interval training can help you whether your goal is: 

- burning fat

- improve cardio-vascular health

- preparing for a specific sport

 

But how exactly do you do interval training?

You should chose you interval training protocols according to your goal.  

1)  Chosing the right duration of work and recovery intervals is key to getting the right results.  This is what determines which energy transfer system gets overloaded (i.e. trained)and whether you improve speed, endurance, tolerance etc.

2)  You should also pay attention to the exercise scheme you chose.  It makes a difference whether you do you interval training swimming, skipping, running, etc.

-if your goal is burning fat

Research and results from fat loss experts around the world shows that the high intensity of exercise that you get in interval training creates a metabolic after burn effect that may last up to 38 hours after the workout - on top of the increase in metabolism during the workout itself!  This effect is much lower with lower intensities of workout.  

This means that you get far more “fat burn” for your workout time with interval training.  

Read more interval training for fat loss here...

-if your goal is cardio-vascular health

You get better progress in less time.

With a relatively brief training stimulus of high intensity you can significantly improve factors such as VO2max and enzyme activity in the aerobic pathways...

Read more how interval training can improve your cardio-vascular health here...

-if your goal is preparing for a specific sport

Only very few sports rely mainly on steady state aerobic activity.  Most sports consist of a series of short bouts of work.  The duration, intensity and movement pattern in those bouts are what vary from sport to sport.  Assimiliating of any of those variables to your sport in your interval training makes it sport specific. 

Read more about sport specific interval training here...

I have provided some session examples for you to download for free...

Get free interval training programs here...

 

Does interval training have to be biking, running or stepping on a cardio machine?  No way! 

Read more about fun interval training programs here...

You can also read more about some of the  

popular benefits of interval training in this article from the New York Times.