Tuesday, January 22, 2008

Best Ways to Do Intervals

Best Ways to Do Intervals
If you haven't heard of interval training, then you are
about to learn of the best way to burn body fat fast.
Interval training is better than cardio (research-proven!)
for fat loss. It does the job faster, and the workouts are
shorter.

So first, let me explain what interval training is all
about. It's harder than regular cardio, but also easier.
And an interval training workout is always shorter than a
long, slow, boring cardio workout.

Here's how the interval training workout breaks down.

Start with a 5-minute warm-up. As I mention later, you can
use almost any cardio machine, as well as other traditional
methods of cardio.

After your warmup, you are now ready for your first work
interval. At this time, you'll increase the intensity to a
harder-than-normal-cardio pace, something you can maintain
for 60 seconds. After 60 seconds, you will decrease the
intensity to a very easy pace for 60-120 seconds.

That is one interval, and should be repeated 3-6 times and
then followed by a cooldown.

An interval can be any length, from 5 seconds to 5 minutes,
but for fat loss, I generally stick to 30-60 seconds of
work followed by 60-120 seconds of rest.

One of the most common questions I get about interval
training is, "What is the best equipment to use for
interval training?"

Without considering anything else, for maximum results,
treadmill sprinting is best. Sprinting is a total body
exercise - it's not just your legs that are working hard.
Your abs, your arms, and your back on working hard to push
you forward.

So sprinting results in a lot of "turbulence" applied to
the muscles of the body. Not only does that burn a lot of
calories in the workout, but it boosts your metabolism and
burns calories and fat for a long time after exercise.

However, the treadmill has several logistical problems
(i.e. difficulty changing speeds, possibility of falling
off) and sprinting has a greater risk of injury (due to the
high velocity nature of the movement).

Therefore, I prefer stationary cycling against a heavy
resistance (allowing for 80-100 RPM to be achieved during
the work interval). This provides the optimal combination
of intensity and safety.

With the bike, you still apply a lot of turbulence to the
big leg muscles, ensuring lots of fat and calorie burning.
All this with a lot less risk of falling (please tell me
you won't fall off a stationary bike!) and an easier time
changing speeds.

All other machines and methods are generally accepted,
however if you find you are NOT getting results, than your
interval training method should be evaluated and perhaps
you should experiment with another option.

To be honest, I'm not a huge fan of the elliptical machine.
I'd rather someone use the bike or the treadmill. However,
if you have knee problems, this machine is great for
allowing you to work hard without any extra pounding on
your joints.

Rowing machines are good if you are an experienced rower.
Elliptical machines are okay, but in my experience, have
not given the same results as the bike or treadmill.

You can also swim, but this only seems to work if you are
actually a good swimmer.

With interval training, you will get more results in less
time than with slow, boring cardio. And now you know the
best machines for interval training for fat loss.


----------------------------------------------------
Get more interval training workouts at
http://www.turbulencetraining.com . Find out how to use fat
burning bodyweight circuits in place of interval training.

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