For years the common wisdom has been to get in shape and lose weight you have to trudge along hours doing countless miles of jogging, cycling etc. Long, slow, steady were the catchwords of how to do your "cardio". Now a growing body of evidence indicates this approach may even be counter productive both for weight loss and cardio wellness. More and more studies are being conducted challenging the notion of "long and slow" workouts as being the best way to lose the fat and ensure a healthy cardio vascular system.
Indeed various scientific studies show that interval training provides much more benefits in much less overall time spent in the gym.
Previously relegated to the realm of second class exercises, intervals and wind sprints are coming into the forefront on the quest for the most efficient workout. People are pressed for time and the need for a fast, effective workout has driven the research, the findings so far have been eye-opening.
In Japan, Doctor Izumi Tabata of National Sport and Fitness Institute, Tokyo, Japan in 1996 conducted tests to evaluate the effects of interval training versus those of the traditional long, steady workout favored by so many. Dr. Tabata set up a test where he took collegiate athletes, elite cyclists, and separated them into two groups. Group one performed training sessions of up to forty-five minutes per session cycling at speeds that kept the participants heart rate up in their ideal target heart rate. Group two performed interval style training where they would first warm-up for four minutes cycling at moderate speed, then they would conduct intervals of all out sprinting for twenty seconds followed with a ten second rest period of slow cycling. This interval was repeated a total of eight times, twenty second sprint ten second rest fro an over all length of workout time of four minutes followed by a four minute cool down period of moderate paced cycling. After six weeks of this program the results were analyzed. It turns out the second group, which conducted the interval training, experienced greater improvement in their cardio-vascular performance. Also the interval group burned fat at a much higher rate than the participants in the first group. The interval group experienced a raised metabolic rate for up to forty-eight hours after their workouts so the fat burning continued long after the workout. The study's sponsors concluded that the interval training methods, now known as the "Tabata Protocols" were far superior in improving the cardio-vascular condition than the long, steady, moderate paced workouts that are currently popular.
It should be pointed out that this study's participants were all young elite, supremely conditioned athletes. It is not advisable for anyone to just jump into a strict regimen of rigorous training, interval or otherwise without prior approval from your doctor. Interval training should be worked into slowly, gradually working your way from the long, slow moderate style of cardio workouts until you can perform the interval workouts safely.
Beyond this study there are other indicators that the interval or sprinting type workout provides the benefits that most of us seek. We workout for heart health, strength and improved figures. If you take a look at athletes from different events you'll see the physiques of the long distance runner compared to the typical sprinter and notice a huge difference. Whereas the typical long distance runner has a thin almost emaciated shape, the sprinter is more often than not closer to the ideal shape, a lean well-muscled individual that exudes an image of robust health. The comparison goes for the inside as well. The long slow moderate workout trains our hearts to pump more efficiently but does not build up what is known as cardiac reserve, whereas the sprint or interval training which places sudden loads on the cardio vascular system increases the hearts reserve capacity. This cardio-reserve makes our hearts more capable of handling sudden, intense, unexpected stress, which provides real world benefits as well.
Last but not least in the list of benefits of interval training versus the long, steady moderate method is the fact that we are in and out of the gym quickly, making the workouts much easier to fit into our day. As our schedules fill up with appointments and chores and the like, workouts are often the first things to be dropped. A fast workout time prevents boredom and encourages us to keep it up. All in all the interval training regimen has a lot going for it fast, efficient and effective. Just what is needed in today's world to give us the workouts we need to get back into and stay in the best shape of our lives.
Indeed various scientific studies show that interval training provides much more benefits in much less overall time spent in the gym.
Previously relegated to the realm of second class exercises, intervals and wind sprints are coming into the forefront on the quest for the most efficient workout. People are pressed for time and the need for a fast, effective workout has driven the research, the findings so far have been eye-opening.
In Japan, Doctor Izumi Tabata of National Sport and Fitness Institute, Tokyo, Japan in 1996 conducted tests to evaluate the effects of interval training versus those of the traditional long, steady workout favored by so many. Dr. Tabata set up a test where he took collegiate athletes, elite cyclists, and separated them into two groups. Group one performed training sessions of up to forty-five minutes per session cycling at speeds that kept the participants heart rate up in their ideal target heart rate. Group two performed interval style training where they would first warm-up for four minutes cycling at moderate speed, then they would conduct intervals of all out sprinting for twenty seconds followed with a ten second rest period of slow cycling. This interval was repeated a total of eight times, twenty second sprint ten second rest fro an over all length of workout time of four minutes followed by a four minute cool down period of moderate paced cycling. After six weeks of this program the results were analyzed. It turns out the second group, which conducted the interval training, experienced greater improvement in their cardio-vascular performance. Also the interval group burned fat at a much higher rate than the participants in the first group. The interval group experienced a raised metabolic rate for up to forty-eight hours after their workouts so the fat burning continued long after the workout. The study's sponsors concluded that the interval training methods, now known as the "Tabata Protocols" were far superior in improving the cardio-vascular condition than the long, steady, moderate paced workouts that are currently popular.
It should be pointed out that this study's participants were all young elite, supremely conditioned athletes. It is not advisable for anyone to just jump into a strict regimen of rigorous training, interval or otherwise without prior approval from your doctor. Interval training should be worked into slowly, gradually working your way from the long, slow moderate style of cardio workouts until you can perform the interval workouts safely.
Beyond this study there are other indicators that the interval or sprinting type workout provides the benefits that most of us seek. We workout for heart health, strength and improved figures. If you take a look at athletes from different events you'll see the physiques of the long distance runner compared to the typical sprinter and notice a huge difference. Whereas the typical long distance runner has a thin almost emaciated shape, the sprinter is more often than not closer to the ideal shape, a lean well-muscled individual that exudes an image of robust health. The comparison goes for the inside as well. The long slow moderate workout trains our hearts to pump more efficiently but does not build up what is known as cardiac reserve, whereas the sprint or interval training which places sudden loads on the cardio vascular system increases the hearts reserve capacity. This cardio-reserve makes our hearts more capable of handling sudden, intense, unexpected stress, which provides real world benefits as well.
Last but not least in the list of benefits of interval training versus the long, steady moderate method is the fact that we are in and out of the gym quickly, making the workouts much easier to fit into our day. As our schedules fill up with appointments and chores and the like, workouts are often the first things to be dropped. A fast workout time prevents boredom and encourages us to keep it up. All in all the interval training regimen has a lot going for it fast, efficient and effective. Just what is needed in today's world to give us the workouts we need to get back into and stay in the best shape of our lives.
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