Get fit and incinerate fat through interval training

Get fit and incinerate fat through interval training
Unless you are an athlete or fitness buff, when you think
of losing body fat, you think jogging, swimming, cycling,
or a similar activity. These activities provide wonderful
benefits. But, when it comes to shedding body fat, experts
agree interval training is more effective. Here are the
results of several studies:

Research shows that interval training, long used by
athletes to improve performance, also leads to improvements
in cardiovascular fitness when compared to exercise done at
a continuous pace. The study also shows it leads to a
higher rate of fat loss. Up to as much as 35 percent for
cyclist.

Research at the University of Guelph, Ontario Canada
reveals that this form of exercise also enhances
cardiovascular health and helps the body burn more fat.
They found this to be true even during low or moderate
intensity exercises.

A study by sports scientist at the University of
Copenhagen, concluded that an hour of playing soccer
provides greater benefits than an hour of jogging. The
scientist followed several groups of untrained men ages 20
to 40. One group played soccer for an hour several times a
week, another group jogged whiles the third group did not
train. Results showed "soccer players had lost 7.7 lbs. of
fat and gained more than 4.4 lbs. muscle, whereas the
joggers had lost 4.4 lbs. of fat and showed no gains in
muscle.

Okay, enough about the research. Interval training is just
a great way to avoid boredom, repetitive motion injuries
while burning a lot of fat.

Adding interval training to your workouts is also simple.
For example, if you walk, increase your speed for 2 to 5
minutes followed by 2 to 5 minutes at a moderate pace. The
same principles can apply to using equipment such as
exercise bikes and elliptical trainers.

Strength training exercises can be sequenced so that the
first set is a large muscle followed by an exercise of
smaller muscle etc. Use a moderate weight that allows 15 -
30 repetitions of each exercise.

When you first start interval training, you should
determine intensity levels by monitoring your heart rate.
Your heart rate at the lower intensity levels should range
50 - 60% of your maximum target heart rate. Maximum target
heart rate can be estimated by subtracting your age from
220. For example, a 40 year person would have a target
heart rate of (220 - 40) = 180. At the higher intensity
level your target heart rate should reach about 85%.

Be sure to drink plenty of water before during and after
your workout. Staying properly hydrated will help optimize
metabolism, avoid injury and speed recovery. Consult with a
physician if you are just starting and exercise program.

----------------------------------------------------
David Rafferty owns and operates
http://homeworkoutsexpress.com a supplier of home fitness
and exercise equipment and related information.