Interval training is made up of short segments of very intense activity followed by a short recovery period where strength training drills or a less intense form of the original activities are done while you catch your breath (active recovery). This type of training maximizes your exercise time by helping burn more calories in a short amount of time and essentially solves the ‘lack of time’ issue that most people say leads to inactivity.

Interval training is beneficial and ideal for people of all fitness levels. It helps build cardiovascular endurance as well as muscle strength in half the time as endurance training with similar results. So says a recent study in the Journal of Physiology, which found low-volume high-intensity interval training (HIT) is as effective as longer bouts of moderate-intensity sustained endurance exercise. The 20-minute workout included six 30-second stints of all out effort coupled with periods of 4 minutes of recovery. Despite 90% less workout volume and 67% less time commitment, the HIT group saw similar results to those doing regular exercise. In addition to the time and energy perks, high-intensity interval training allows you to add a bit of variety into your workouts which can help you stay motivated.

During basic interval training sessions, you complete basic drills like walking for 2-3 minutes, then running for 1-2 minutes, and repeating this cycle for the duration of the session. The following interval training drills are built on the same idea but also involve a few strengthening active recovery drills to give you a complete and well-rounded workout.

Interval Training Workout 1

Set your watch or timer for 2 minutes. Run at a pace that is mid-level for you (not too easy and not too difficult). At the end of two minutes stop and complete the drills below. After you complete each challenge below, continue with another 2 minute run. Repeat this cycle for 30-45 minutes.

• 20 Lunges: make sure you keep your knees behind your toes.
• 15 Push up w/ side plank: A modified version of a push-up is to come on your knees.
• 10 Squat Thrusts (burpees): If you can’t jump back in to the plank it’s okay to just reach down to touch your toes and step one leg back at a time.
• 5 Turkish Get Ups: This is challenging with our without a weight added. Find the level that challenges you.

Interval Training Workout 2

• Run as fast as you can for 20 seconds and immediately follow this with a 10 second walk or slow jog.  Make sure you don’t complete stop during your 10 second recovery. Repeat this 5 more times (a total of 6 times) with little to zero breaks. You can also use the stability bike, treadmill, or elliptical for this drill. This is a total of 3 minutes.
• Complete a wall sit for 1 minute.
• Complete a plank for 1 minute.

Continue repeating all three steps above for approximately 30-40 minutes.

For more interval drills like these and tips on how to maximize your workouts visit me on http://www.keepitmovingfitness.com/ Like me on Facebook to join in on the conversation and see what others are saying about this workout. Remember, I am always here to answer your questions every other Sunday on Calorie Count.