Changing up Cardio with Interval Training

Changing up Cardio with Interval Training

When doing cardio exercise, many people hop on the treadmill, elliptical, bike, or partake in other forms of continuous exercise for a set duration of time. Although some people love these forms of continuous exercise, others may find themselves easily bored, feel as though they do not have enough time to commit to long exercise sessions, or find that they can only sustain the exercise for a limited time before having to stop. A potential approach to addressing these hurdles and to help reach your exercise goals is to perform interval training. 

There are different types of interval workouts, finding the right method for your goals and lifestyle can help optimize your training and make your workouts more enjoyable. Here’s a look at some different types of interval training: 

Moderate intensity intervals: Although often overlooked due to the growing popularity of high intensity intervals, moderate intensity intervals are a great way to increase your exercise capacity. By breaking up your continuous moderate intensity cardio exercise into smaller chunks and adding short breaks in between, you allow your body to recover and you are able to do overall more exercise than if you tried to do the exercise all in one go. If your goal is to be able to sustain exercise for a set amount of time or distance, this type of training can help you get there. This method can also be a safe and progressive approach toward getting back to the exercise you love following an injury. 

High Intensity intervals: High Intensity Interval Training (HIT) is a form of training where you push yourself till your heart rate is between 80-100% of your heart rate max, for one to five minutes. You then take a rest that is equal or lesser in time to the exercise interval. These rests are typically some form of active recovery – walking or doing the same exercise at a slower pace. HIT can be an extremely effective training method for increasing cardiovascular fitness. HIT is great for people who are looking to improve endurance and like to push themselves, especially if they find sustaining long duration cardio exercise boring. 

Sprint Intervals: Sprint Interval Training (SIT) is a lower duration, higher intensity version of HIT. SIT is short bursts of all-out effort activity, usually less than 30 seconds, with rest breaks of one to four minutes. This type of training can have a positive effect on your fitness by creating increased aerobic capacity and muscular strength. This type of training is suitable for anyone able to exert a maximum effort during exercise. It can also be a great solution for people who don’t want to commit a lot of time to their exercise routines.

Interval training is a great way to meet your fitness goals and, like all exercise, can be modified into a workout protocol that you enjoy! If you need any help changing up your cardio training, give us a call at 506-473-7064 (Grand Falls) or 506-325-1565 (Woodstock) or even 1(833) U-R-HEARD.

Nathalie