Interval Training on the Treadmill

Are you on a mission to lose weight? If this is so and you are serious about it your workouts probably involve some sort of treadmill exercises. The treadmill can be a great machine to aid in your weight loss goals. Treadmill training is popular because of the fact that it is relatively easy to buy and install a treadmill at your home. Let's say you get this brand new treadmill and are ready to begin your workout routines. You do a conventional treadmill workout for a couple weeks and are becoming bored with it. It now may be the time to start doing some interval training on treadmill type exercises.

Just by alternating the settings on your treadmill can give your muscles the variance and workout they need. In order for workouts to reach maximum effectiveness you must expose your muscles to different intensity levels within the same workout. Interval training on the treadmill accomplishes this goal. Try starting at your slow to moderate pace in your warm up and then increase the speed of the treadmill as you advance in the stages of the workout. By doing this you are performing a very basic interval type workout.

The key to any interval training on a treadmill is to vary not only the actual speed of the treadmill, but the incline and decline functions as well. Essentially your goal is to incorporate periods of both high intensity and low intensity within the same workout routine. With that said, there is no real standard interval treadmill training. Your workouts should be geared towards whatever you feel comfortable doing. We all work out with different goals in mind and those play the biggest role in determining how your specific interval training should be mapped out.

You will see that as you progress you will actually see yourself looking forward to your next treadmill routine with great anticipation. Why is this? This is because interval training on a treadmill is always changing and it is a natural human condition to be drawn to anything that is diverse and constantly changing rather than to be drawn to something that is very static and outright boring. After you see the results these workouts have as far as calories burned you will find yourself looking to get back on that treadmill as well.

Since any workout regimen is going to include a heavy dose of cardio type exercises you might as well make those parts of your workout as successful as possible. One of the great ways you can accomplish this is by interval training on treadmill type exercises. This type of training can be done at any time that you normally do your cardio workout, if you workout for 20 minutes, you could begin at a low intensity for 3 to 5 minutes then increase to at higher intensity for 3 to 5 minutes following this cycle for the entire workout. The time shown can be easily modified depending on your fitness level by decreasing or increasing the time for either low or high intensity.

What is good about this type of interval training, it can be used by the beginner or athlete who wants to increase their cardiovascular endurance or burn calories. As with all cardio exercises stay within your capabilities and do not exhaust yourself, stay within your target heart rate range to get the best benefit from interval training on the treadmill.

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Interval Training - Exploding Your Workout

The phrase 'interval training' should be synonymous with the word EXPLOSIVE. It can involve biking, climbing, squat thrusts, plyometrics, and many other things, but most famously sprinting.

It involves 3 things:

1. Many and large muscle groups,

2. maximum heart rate/cellular stress

3. periodic cool downs

Now flex your leg as hard as you can. Just do it!

Notice at first, it's easy and your leg feels strong, but as you're reading this and time passes, it becomes harder to maintain a powerful flex. This demonstrates the different sources of ATP (Adenosine Tri-Phosphate), and how they wear out, forcing the muscles power to diminish.

Interval training is like fine tuning your exercise to the natural flow of cellular energy. The cell's most basic form of energy is ATP. There are 4 basic sources of ATP which are too complicated and boring to get into very much, but each successive source of ATP is a less immediate and slower source of energy. During the most intense activity, a cell's initial store of ATP can be exhausted in two second. The second source of ATP (the ATP-PCr system) may only last 10 seconds and the third (the glycolytic system), which starts at same time as the ATP-PCr system, lasts as little as 2 minutes. These first three sources of ATP is called the anaerobic system. The fourth (the oxidative system) is the primary supplier of APT during lower-intensity activity, when the anaerobic system isn't needed much. It is slow and can sustain only moderate activity, but may last quite some time. Interval training targets the anaerobic sources of APT which are the fastest and most ready sources of energy for use.

In many ways, Interval training is superior to long-lasting cardio exercises of less intensity. Less intense cardio uses more of the oxidative system; which does not preserve lean muscle mass very well during exercise. There are many benefits of interval training. Along with burning maximum calories relative to time, interval training preserves and promotes more muscle growth. It also increases the resting metabolism which is crucial for burning fat and benefits cardiovascular strength. Interval training may only last 10 to 15 minutes, but you might feel like you're about to die. Interval training is about power and intensity not necessarily endurance. Types of interval training, rather than moderate cardio, can be ideal for all age groups and fitness levels.

Interval training should start with a warm-up. During the warm-up you should be able to have a conversation; otherwise you're using the anaerobic system too much too soon and should slow down. A warm-up should last 5 minutes, is meant to get the blood pumping and the body ready for the actual workout.

After the warm-up is finished, it's time to sprint. This should be highly intensive; as if you're trying to escape death from a crocodile, an aggressive water hippo, or a rapid land-tuna; yielding some sort of above-water breathing apparatus. If this part of the set is not intense enough, the cell's ATP source will default more to the oxidative system rather than the anaerobic system. You should try and target the anaerobic systems during the heightened part of the interval, so minimizing the time from 30 seconds to 3 minutes and maximizing the intensity is crucial.

The next part of this set is recovery. A slow recovery is needed for the anaerobic systems to renew and prepare itself for the next set. Recovery should last 3 to 5 minutes until a slower breathing rate is comfortable; then it's time to sprint again. Do 3 to 5 sets to complete the workout. Also, remember that this principle of interval training can be applied to many forms of exercise.

With or without starting any exercise program nutrition is always 100% necessary. Malnutrition can lead to a loss of muscle mass, a lowered metabolism, and can have countless other negative effects. During interval training, malnutrition will also cause low energy, dizziness, poor exercise, and poor results. A proper balance of complete proteins, complex carbohydrates, and healthy fats should be utilized for any lifestyle or exercise program.

There are dangers to interval training. It may be wise to take interval training slowly at first; building up to higher intensity over days, weeks, or months. This of course, depends on your cardiovascular fitness levels and age. Consult your doctor before starting an exercise program to avoid any possible risks.

Ryan Morris is a fitness specialist for the online personal training site, http://www.youronlinefitnesstrainer.com/.

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Burn More Calories All Day Long With Interval Training

Interval training can help you get more out of your workout, increase your stamina and burn more calories in the same amount of time as your regular workout. Interval training involves short bursts of high intensity exercise followed by a recovery phase. People with health conditions and those who are just starting a fitness program should consult a doctor before beginning interval training.

You may begin interval training by varying the speed of walking. For example, if walking is part of your fitness routine, add a short period of fast running and then return to walking. During a 60-minute walk, you can increase your speed for at least 30 seconds after every 15 minutes of walking. The next time you walk, run for 1 minute after every 15 minutes of walking. The goal is to intersperse intense training in the regular fitness routine. Your body will respond by burning more calories during the intense interval. During the less intense interval of exercise, your muscles will be removing cellular waste that built up in the tissues during the intense exercise. You will experience the benefits of intense training with less muscle soreness.

Use interval training to burn calories in any fitness workout. Alternate your speed between a regular pace and intense bursts of speed. To burn calories faster during a standard workout, vary the intensity of your workout between short periods of high intensity and low intensity exercise. Begin with a 5-minute warm up by stretching. Next, perform 1 minute of high intensity exercise followed by 2 minutes of low intensity exercise to stimulate your muscles and burn more calories. The stationary bicycle and the elliptical machine are well suited for interval training because the user determines the speed. Exercise on the stationary bike or elliptical machine for 5 minutes at your regular pace and then increase your speed as much as you can for 1 minute and then return to your regular pace for the next 5 minutes.

Begin interval training slowly and do not overdo it. You risk injury to your muscles and joints if your body is not ready for strenuous activity. Always warm up by performing stretching exercises before any physical training. Add roughly 10 to 30 seconds of strenuous activity when you first start interval training and gradually increase the length of time, intensity or speed. Even a few seconds of intense exercise followed by your regular pace will help you shred more calories during your fitness routine and for hours after you finish.

Robin Reichert is a certified nutrition consultant, certified personal trainer and freelance writer. She has been involved in the health and fitness industry for over 10 years. She holds a Bachelor of Arts in psychology from the University of San Francisco and a Master of Science in natural health from Clayton College. Robin's goal is to make every personal training session fun and effective for her clients. Her services include both in-person and online personal training at http://www.trainwithmeonlinetoday.com/ Lose up to 10 lbs with a 24-DAY WEIGHT LOSS CHALLENGE! Visit my website to get started today!

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