Tuesday, May 3, 2011

Interval Training for Weight Loss

Interval training is a type of exercise where you are working out with a lot of force for a given period of time, and then reduce the force during your resting period.
Exercise Period
Your workout sessions, which include repeating exercises, or a distance, where you are exercising with a lot of force, is your exercise period. They are usually about 15-30 seconds in duration and can be as simple as running up the stairs.
Recovery Period
Following your exercise period is what is known as your recovery period. This involves a reduction in your force level so that your heart beat can normalize again, while you are still exercising. At this stage, your body is able to rest and prepare for another exercise period. For instance, if you were running up the stairs, you could choose to walk back down and this will be your recovery period. How long you should rest is determined by how difficult your exercise period is, and how fit your body is.
It is very important that you pay attention to your recovery period, so that your body is able to catch up on energy before another round of exercise period. Otherwise, your workout session will become steady state cardio and this does not help to condition your body or burn off excess fat.

Exercise Intensity
The rate at which you exercise is usually measured on a scale of 1 to 10, where 10 is a rating of maximum effort and 1 shows no effort at all. In the same way as with recovery period, the rate of exercise depends on the individual. For instance, if the rating for a high school track star was “10”, this scale would mean something different for his 45 year old dad simply working on his shape. While “10” would mean a full sprint for the dad, it would only be warm up practice for his teen son.
One mistake that is common is that most people don’t apply enough force in their exercise period, or too much in their rest period. For you to be successful at interval training then you need to take note of the difference in intensities and how the heart rate cycles from high to low.
Finally, in training your body and increasing cardiovascular fitness, the most effective and efficient method is interval training.  Studies have shown that you are prone to achieve weight loss between exercise periods.

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