Interval or High Intensity Training (HIT)

Exercising is good for you.. It burns calories, it releases hormones and other chemicals into your blood stream that are good for your physiology, it can result it higher self-esteem and confidence, the list goes on...

If you're exercising to loose weight then there are some simple tricks and tips that can push you to the next level and result in significant improvements in progress.

Let's assume you're undertaking your cardio/aerobic exercise 3-5 times a week. Maybe it is cycling, jogging, elliptical training, it doesn't matter too much. Let's also assume you're keeping tracking of your calories being burnt. If your technique is primarily using the cardio equipment at a set level of resistance then you're in luck, there is another way! If you're at a commercial gym, look around, you'll see plenty of people on the gym machines spending 30 minutes at the same level of resistance, whether it is 2, 5, 8 or some other.

The concept of interval or high intensity training (HIT) is quite different. It works on the basis of a short duration of very intense exercise followed by a longer duration of lower intensity, and then repeats, and repeats, and repeats. The net result is to push your body, significantly elevate your heart rate, oxygen intake and increase your fitness. While the number of calories being burnt may be the same, or similar to the standard approach, the improvements to the body are more dramatic. It can strip away body fat quicker, the body continues to have an elevated heart rate and burn calories for longer after the exercise has finished.

The diagram below shows 90 second compartments of time, with the first x seconds being high intensity, and then the remainder of the 90 seconds being lower intensity.

If you're using gym cardio equipment then look at the programs available and see if there is one called 'Interval'. On Vision Fitness equipment, many of them come with 'Interval' but also 'Sprint 8' which is a similar concept. I encourage you to try it for a month and see the results!

The body's muscles get used to a training regime, and if your approach is 30 minutes at level 4 then you'll not be achieving the results that you could. The benefit of interval training is that it works the body much more, you can then adapt the interval training, for example increasing the 'high intensity' resistance level as your muscles strengthen and also the ratio of high intensity time to recovery time. e.g. from 30:90 seconds to 45:75 seconds.

If you have a heart rate monitor then these can help with monitoring how you're doing. Depending on your level of fitness you may target 70-85% of your max  heart rate at the high intensity going down to 55-65% during the low intensity.

If you jog outside then the same concept applies, increase you're pace for 30 seconds or 2 minutes, then lower your pace for some time, then repeat.

The two pictures below are from our Vision Fitness 6200HRT elliptical trainer. The first one shows the 'Interval' program:

And this second one shows the 'Sprint 8' program

Both of these programs have a similar approach, the main difference being that the Sprint 8 is pre-set to a 20 minute duration that can't be changed. Only the level can be changed.

You'll also see various weight loss and fat burning programs on cardio equipment. I typically wouldn't use these. They will work you at a lower intensity level than HIT and are based around the premise that at the lower intensity level the body burns a higher percentage of fat:carbohydrates per calorie being burnt. That may be true but the total calories burnt is less and the HIT will provide greater results assuming your nutrition is appropriate.