Does interval training have to be biking, running or stepping on a cardio machine?
Of course it CAN be, but there are many alternative ways of doing
interval training.
There are many reasons to think out of the box....If your training is not particularly aimed at becoming a better runner or cyclist , why not opt for interval training sessions that include different movement patterns?
Running and biking are linear activities with the same repetitive movement pattern which can get pretty monotonous – both for your mind and for your body! Now, you might be okay with that and actually quite comfortable with sticking to your same old routine. However, you should know that whether your goal is to develop athleticism, fat loss or cardio-vascular training, you will most likely get more results if you don’t always do the same kind of training.
Results come
from the body’s
amazing ability to adapt to what we ask of it. If we always
do the same type
of workout, not much adaptation is needed - and at
best we plateau where we are. You
might as
well include functional, multiplanar
variations of exercise to make it less
monotonous
It is important to get around the full spectrum of moving when you train. That’s the way you get the most of it. If you train too much with repetitive movement, you might end up with muscular imbalances or overuse injuries...I know because I’ve been there and I have paid a heavy price to learn.
 Anja Bolbjerg Two time Olympian and Personal Trainer |
In the
Olympic season of 1998 I was leading the
world cup in moguls skiing with
one month to go before the Nagano Olympics. Going into what I had aimed
at to be my moment of glory, my back suddenly gave in and I herniated a
disc!I had been working really hard to peak at these
Games. I wanted to be the first Dane to take an Olympic medal in
skiing.At the time I didn’t understand what happened,
but today I know that too much repetitive movement and not enough
preventive training are what took away my chances of winning that
medal.
Anja
Bolbjerg |
That’s why I want to provide you with
alternative ways of reaching your
goals.
I want to give you different options of
movement patterns to choose from
for your interval workouts, so that you don’t have to follow the
same
monotonous sessions with all the risks that are associated with
“robotic”
cardio training.
I want to provide you with alternatives that
are simple, yet get around
the whole body.
I have included a few of those simple alternative interval sessions in the section
Interval training examples. You can download these absolutely free.
I have
also
made a dvd with fun interval training on the garden
trampoline called Trampo-Lean.