Interval Training involves alternating bursts of high intensity exercises (1-4 minutes) with lower intensity activities (active recovery). For runners, speed training, is a form of interval training.
The benefits of interval training include:
- Increased calorie burn. The high-intensity intervals increase the heart rate and amount of calories burned. Even during active recovery, when you are performing lower intensity exercises, your heart rate remains higher overall and you burn more calories overall.
- Increased muscle fatigue and faster results. The high-intensity intervals fatigue your muscles more rapidly, meaning you have to work harder, even during lower intensity movements. This leads to more rapid results.
- Decreased time. Adding bursts of intensity decreases the amount of time you must work to equal the same results as a longer, moderate-intensity workout.
