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Can I Use Interval Training To Burn Fat And Lose Weight?
Definitely, yes! The research of the American College of Sports Medicine has shown that short high-intensity workouts burn more calories. Interval training improves strength and endurance, it increases tolerance to the lactic acid build-up and, in many cases, it is beneficial for the cardiovascular system, it helps with stress relief and mood improvement. The afterburn effect of this training is much greater than after a long but low-intensity workout. It means that you keep burning calories after you finish the activity, which is crucial for weight management. Besides, normally interval workouts are short, and you can always find time to perform them!
Interval training is one of those training types I can think of when I speak about the best fat burning exercises. I often include intervals into my training, because this type of exercise can be performed everywhere - outdoors, indoors, in front of the TV, in the gym or at any other place. The main idea of this training is to alternate short bursts of high intensity training periods with short periods of having rest or training at a low intensity level.
The are various ways of interval workouts, for example, advanced HIIT (high intensity interval training), interval workouts at a lower pace, like, for example, running at different speeds (one minute fast, two minutes slower, one minute fast and so on). We can build the whole training from intervals, or we can include, say, sprints into the jogging process, for instance, to perform them in the middle or at the end of the activity.
Your training could look the following way:
Warm-up (slow jogging) - 3 minutes
Sprint (run as fast as you can) - 10 seconds
Jogging/walking - 40 seconds
Sprint - 20 seconds
Jogging/walking - 40 seconds
Sprint - 30 seconds
Jogging/walking - 30 seconds
Sprint - 20 seconds
Jogging/walking - 40 seconds
Sprint - 10 seconds
If you are not a beginner, you can repeat the cycle for several times
Cool-down - jogging/walking - 5 minutes
If you train with a heart rate monitor, you will see that your heart rate during the short bursts of activity is around 80-90 percent of maximum (most of the gym cardio machines have the installed heart rate monitors).
Heart Rate
The use of a heart rate monitor during the interval training can help you control the process of the training and keep track of the progress. As I have previously mentioned, many cardiovascular machines already have the heart rate monitors, but if you like training outdoors, you can buy a heart rate monitor at any sports store, it is not expensive.
Your RHR (resting heart rate) is a rate at which your heart beats while you are at rest, not having recently exercised. In order to calculate RHR, you need to measure your pulse for 15 seconds and multiply it by 4. For example, if you heart beats 17 times per 15 seconds, it means that it beats 68 times per minute. This is your RHR.
Your HR max (maximum heart rate) can be measured in various ways, the most popular and the easiest of which is the following: 220 minus your age. For example, if you are 30 years old, your maximum heart rate would be 190 beats per minute (220 minus 30). This formula, of course, is not 100% precise, but it can give you a good idea of what your HR max is.
Your THR (target heart rate) is the desired Fat Burning Heart Rate heart rate for a specific type of physical activity. In order to calculate your THR, you need to know your HR max. Your THR depends on your goal and on the way you train.
More About THR
It is considered that aerobic workouts involve training between 55-65 percent of HR max (low zone) and 75-80 percent of HRmax (high zone). Anaerobic workouts, like sprints, involve training around 80-95 percent of HRmax. The recovery periods between anaerobic bursts of activity drop to a low aerobic zone or lower. As you can see, an experienced athlete can have his heart rate close to maximum possible (95%) during the anaerobic intervals.
Keep in Mind
Make sure you properly assess your capabilities and, if necessary, consult your doctor before you start any intense training program. It is important to remember that if you are a beginner, the recovery periods should be longer, the training-recovery ratio should be 1:3. If you start feeling any pain in the heart or stomach zone, you should immediately stop and continue walking.
Warming-up and cooling-down are essential parts of any interval training.
These workouts are great for fat loss, but at the same time they are very intense, and HIIT can be challenging for your heart, that is why, if you are not and experienced athlete, it is a good idea to see your doctor before starting any training program.
Stay motivated!
Alina
Interval training is one of those training types I can think of
when I speak about the best fat burning exercises. I often include
intervals into my training, because this type of exercise can be
performed everywhere - outdoors, indoors, in front of the TV, in the gym
or at any other place. The main idea of this training is to alternate
short bursts of high intensity training periods with short periods of
having rest or training at a low intensity level.
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