When time is tight but you want to get an effective workout in, interval training may be the answer. In just 30 minutes you’ll be burning more calories than a steady pace workout and can incorporate both cardio and strength training. I met with trainer Dennis Stacknick from the Chatham Club to talk about interval training, and why he continues to incorporate this in clients’ workouts. Dennis grew passionate about strength and weight training in college when he was running track and cross country. Bringing his new passions for strengthening at the gym and cardio together, he developed a love for interval training and the way it can incorporate both.
Interval Training and Its Different Forms
Interval training may sound straightforward but with High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT) and Tabata in the loop, it is important to be aware of the differences. Dennis describes interval training as short sprints of high intensity exercises with minimal recovery. Recovery times are included in interval training between the high and low intensity intervals. According to Studio Sweat, HIIT is a form of interval training which involves near exhaustion intervals and low intensity intervals that conclude when too exhausted (Studio Sweat). Tabata cannot be forgotten. Tabata is a form of HIIT training with shorter rest periods.
To explore the difference between HIIT and interval training further, HIIT primarily focuses on the near exhaustion intervals with minimal recovery. Whereas in interval training workouts, the focus is on the difference in intensity but may not reach near exhaustion. “Near exhaustion” may sound intimidating for some people. It may take time to build up to those near exhaustion intervals. By the time you build up to that intensity, you are proving to yourself that your heart has gotten stronger and you’re more fit to handle those intense intervals!
An example of building up the intensity is trying 15 seconds of all out high intensity then 30 seconds recovery. After some time, work with those ratios until you can achieve 20-60 seconds of high intensity and 10-15 seconds of recovery. Listen to your body to know when you are ready to advance to a different ratio.
Optimizing Your Workout Time
The high intensity intervals in this setting pushes your heart outside its comfort zone which strengthens your heart (Nerd Fitness). Dennis explains that increasing your heart rate and slowing it down for the low intensity intervals in a controlled fashion is one way the heart strengthens.
People not only like interval training for the heart benefits but also the calories burned. Interval training burns more calories than a steady pace cardio workout. An After Burn Effect is very significant with interval training (Runtastic). This means you are burning calories even after you workout, as explained by the name. Dennis noted that interval training can slow down the aging process and increase the human growth hormone to burn more calories taking part in the After Burn Effect.
Interval training is great because it is effective for minimal time and will not get boring! Just throw in a new exercise into the set. To explain, instead of mountain climbers with gliders for cardio, do high knees. Choose different strengthening exercises and you already have a new workout! The possibilities are endless.
How Often
Try to stick to interval training 3-5 times a week since the high intensity bursts may be draining for 5 times a week. This workout should make you feel energized and accomplished afterwards, not depleted. Push yourself through those tough intervals but find the proper ratios to not feel dead after one round.
Types of Workouts/ Results
Dennis does interval training with his clients and has seen results. He may do a superset-- where you do two exercises with no break in between-- with a cardio burst at the end. Another example is his client doing two strengthening exercises then 30 seconds on rower and a 30 second sprint on the treadmill. He has seen results with clients such as improvements in their ratios which shows this kind of workout is in fact promising!
A few pieces of equipment to have on hand or find at the gym are a longer power band or braided band, medium weight kettlebell, and/or gliders to name a few. With these pieces you can do different moves for any body part to make different combinations of interval workouts. Be sure to buy gliders for the surface you'll be working out on as in carpet or hardwood. No gliders? No problem, use a towel on a smoothe surface instead. Choose any two strength moves and a core move afterwards then a cardio exercise at end and repeat!
Two ab glider moves that can also be done with a towel on smooth surface -Body Saws & Ab Glide Out
What My Interval Training Is Like
I always try to do interval training! It's so easy, fun, and I never get bored!
- Erg Machine Quick Workout ...
- Erg (rower) for 4 minutes or for the duration of song about the same length
- Warm up activation exercises: hip bridges, dead bugs, leg swings, cat to cow, downward dog, mixture of these to activate the core, glutes, legs, etc for the workout. Very important to get the core fired up to mentally and physically train the usage of core when moving other body parts!
- Erg for 4 minutes
- Now core exercises, flutter kick 30 reps, scissors 50 reps, leg raises 20 reps, and one minute plank with leg taps for 20 taps each side. To make it harder, keep your legs slightly above the ground. Not there yet? Raise them up! Repeat 3-4 sets and don’t forget to tuck hips under to engage core!
- Back to erg - 4 minutes
- Now arms! Tripcep curls, standing row (heavier), go lighter and do some flys, push ups, tricep dips, military press, any sort of arms you want for about 15 reps and 3 sets!
- ERG! If you didn't guess already - 4 minutes
- Now cool down
To make it clear, circuits are a big component of interval training or, rather, circuits are interval training! I choose 3-4 exercises and do 3-4 sets of them with cardio at the beginning.
Carl Me Crazy’s jump rope workout is great, linked here. I also made a variation myself, linked here. Just grab a jump rope, choose a duration for this cardio interval, and do any exercise you want and then back to jump rope! Simple as that!
Modification is key. Try the exercises out, play around with ratios, modify the strength exercises to make it harder or easier, and make it your own!
Lots of information! Make your own variation of interval training or take an example from here with your modifications if needed and strengthen that heart and burn those calories without spending more than an hour at the gym!
Resources
Dennis Stacknick from The Chatham Club