Interval training is a useful way of helping to gain the maximum amount of benefit from your exercise in the minimum amount of time. But intervals have to be used with a certain amount of caution.
Increasingly interval training, where short bursts of really hard exercise are interspersed with less demanding periods, are seen as a great way of boosting performance without spending hours in the gym. Recent studies have even shown that unfit people can benefit by doing vigorous bursts of activity for a as little as 10 minutes per week, can decrease their likelihood of getting diabetes, and can even increase cardiovascular performance. It is well known that intervals do give more benefit than the total time taken on exercise would allow you to believe.
The downside to this approach was illustrated perfectly on a recent science program on TV. The presenter wanted to test the claim that repeating 30 second sprints, six or eight times in a total of 10 or 15 minutes total exercise per day, three days a week is enough to show significant health benefits. What happened? Within the first 10 seconds of the first sprint he had pulled a muscle in his leg. Trying very high intensity work is great, but only if you are strong enough to take them. And the only way to get strong enough is to build up steadily.
One of the best forms of intervals for runners is the called the 'Fartlek'. It's a rather informal way of adding hard bursts of running into your normal routine. Basically, after you have been running for a while, maybe 10 minutes, you set yourself a target. Maybe 'I'm going to run flat out for the next 30 seconds', or 'I'm going to run as fast as I can to that lamppost'. Then you just go for it. When you reach the target, back off to a slow jog (or even walk) until you've regained you breath, then back up to normal speed. Further on add a second short sprint, then rest, then another. The first time you try this I doubt if you will be able to do a fourth!
The advantages of this kind of interval are that it ensures that you are completely warmed up before you start pushing the boundaries and the fact that you are already in the middle of a 30 minute run suggests that your body has had sufficient training to avoid pulling a muscle in the first 10 seconds. Don't think that it's a breeze though. On paper it may sound easy, but in practice it is really physically demanding. And if something starts to hurt STOP! And at the end, make sure that you jog slowly for the last 10 minutes of your run, to give you a good 'warm down' after your exertions.
One final word of advice - don't try and do intervals every time you go for a run. They are really demanding on the body, which is why you get so much benefit from such a short exertion. But more than once or twice a week will almost certainly lead to injury for even the most enthusiastic runner. And if you are a beginner, don't try them at all, until you can comfortably run for 30 minutes without stopping. Intervals are not for the faint hearted...literally!
Find out more about training for a half marathon at www.erunningweightloss.com/halfmarathontraining
Rob Knowles used to be a sedentary, overweight office dweller. He still wastes his days trying to earn an honest living in an office, but he did take up running, he lost some weight and now he just won't stop going on about it!
© 2012 Rob Knowles
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