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.
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...
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...
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.