Michelle LeSueur, DBe, CNC, CNS

Interval Training and Fat Loss

If I told you could lose more body fat by doing less would you be interested?  I have been asked many time what is the fastest way to lose fat.  There are so many studies that have been done, showing that interval training is the best way to accomplish this over any other cardio.

What is great about Interval training is it works both the aerobic and the anaerobic system. When it comes to calorie burning during exercise, research shows that short, high-intensity aerobic sessions burn more calories than longer, lower-intensity aerobic workouts.  If this is so then why not go intense the whole time instead of going really hard and then resting?  To maintain high intensity at the level needed would be very difficult and people could find themselves with injuries.  Short burst of exercise, going as hard as you can and then having a short rest has been found to be the best.

Lets look at sprinting.  When you sprint or do any intense exercise, your muscle cannot get enough oxygen at the rate need by the muscle and it is at this time that anaerobic has to kick in to assist, providing energy to the muscle.  This is that burn that you feel and is called lactic acid.  Once this intense action has finished, your body needs to repay what it has borrowed.  There is an oxygen deficit and in order for the muscles to return to normal, that deficit needs to be repaid.  This is called Oxygen debt. When you feel that lactic acid burn you know you are in oxygen debt. The more oxygen debt that we create the more we boost our metabolism.  It is that huffing and puffing, gasping for air that is paying that oxygen debt. Like any debt the more you borrow the more that needs to be paid back.  One other benefit is that the more of a deficit created, the longer you will burn calories after you have finished your workout.

The name of the game is finding something that is intense enough that you switch over to an anaerobic state.   Resistance training and sprinting are two great ways to accomplish this.  The name of the game it to create such intensity that it can’t be sustained very long, which is what creates the lactic burn.  Then you rest for a very short time and do it again. The reason for the rest is to make sure that you increase both lactic acid and oxygen debt.  That is interval training.  Again this creates a great after burn affect, that will boost your metabolism and you will continue to burn calories for a few hours after you have finished.

Another thing that is great about this kind of training is it takes less time and you don’t burn any muscle, which lowers metabolic rate.  Any one can find 20 min a day or at least 3 days a week to do this.  I think people would be thrilled with the results they would see from doing this.

I love doing this for the first 20 min of my cardio.  When you first start working out you are burning sugar then you will either burn fat or muscle.  After the first 20 min has been completed then I drop into my fat burning zone and maintain that for an additional 40 min.  I have seen great results by doing this.

Here is a website that does interval with weights. http://www.intervaltrainingworks.com

Here is 2 interval works from mensworkout.com

Interval Variation I: Standard

The following is a typical interval workout. You alternate the same period of low intensity with the same period of higher intensity.

1. 3 – 5 minutes warm up (light jog, low intensity, gradually increasing at the end of the warm up period)

2. 1 minute moderate or high intensity followed by 1-minute low intensity (repeat 6 – 8 times)

3. 3 – 5 minutes cool down (light jog, low intensity, gradually decreasing by the end of the cooldown period)

Interval Variation II: Pyramid

This pyramid structure allows you to start with short bursts of speed, and then you’ll peak at the longest surge of energy in the middle of your workout before coming back down.

1. 3 – 5 minutes warm up

2. 30 seconds high intensity, 1-minute low intensity

3. 45 seconds high intensity, 1-minute low intensity

4. 60 seconds high intensity, 1-minute low intensity

5. 90 seconds high intensity, 1-minute low intensity

6. 60 seconds high intensity, 1-minute low intensity

7. 45 seconds high intensity, 1-minute low intensity

8. 30 seconds high intensity

9. 3 – 5 minutes cool down

Interval Variation III: Sports Conditioning

Sports are unpredictable. This interval simulates some of that unpredictability by having you doing different times and different intensities. You can mix and match the orders and repetitions as much as you want. Rest longer after the periods in which you use the most energy.

1. 3 – 5 minutes warm up

2. 2 minutes moderate or high intensity followed by 2 minutes low intensity (repeat once

3. 30 seconds high intensity followed by 30 seconds low intensity (repeat four times)

4. 60-yard sprints (or 10 seconds if not running) followed by 90 seconds rest (repeat 6 – 10 times)

5. 3 – 5 minutes cool down

If you are really serious about dropping body fat, interval training is the way to go.  There are many different options when it comes to this training, find the one that works best for you.

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