Interval Question

Hello again shapefit amigos

I thought of another question! Yay! So when doing intervals for cardio, I know people say go all out, but I'mtrying to work my way up to doing that. Is this ok to do or should I just start with going all out to train my body to get used to it quickly? I'm used to training sequences from movies like Never Back Down (MMA movie, I LOVE MMA!)

And as a bonus for responses for me(I love respenses ), here's what I did for cardio tonight:

I got right on the stationary bike and didn't stop for about 10 minutes, then I got right onto the elliptical and did intervals for another 10. Which I'm rather proud of because I didn't get very tired until the end(I don't feel I was pushing myself hard enough)

So yeah I love input! ("Johnny 5 need input!!"<~~100 cool points to whoever gets that reference)

Thanks in advance!

~Wolfen

1) short circuit.

2) Work your way up to it. Like anything else, your heart is gonna need some conditioning, so do what you can, and improve til you get where you wanna be! It will go faster than you think!

Instead of doing 2 different cardio machines, why not stick to one for now.
Work on your endurance.

http://exercise.about.com/cs/cardioworkouts/l/blbeginterval.htm

Thanks for that link Nokie it was very helpful! But everywhere else I read it said that work output should last 2x as long as the rest period >.>

but I like 1 minute work 3 minute rest a lot

Ahhh, Intervals....my favorite workout! I do them 3 times a week. It is something I have done alot of research on and asked alot of questions about.
Following is a basic breakdown of what interval work involves and how it works:
HIIT workout -
1. Intervals
2. 5 min. slow
3. 20 min. steady pace at or near the same speed as the slow speed of the interval.

There are 3 major steps in of fat metabolism being:
1. Mobilization
2. Transport
3. Oxidation (the actual burning part)

The Intervals (fast and slow combo) = Mobilization (– mobilizing body fat (triglycerides) breaking it down into free fatty acids)

5 minutes slow = Transport - gives the body a chance to draw as many of the triglycerides (fat) into the blood stream for burning off

20 minutes steady = Oxidation - IMPORTANT! if you don’t actually burn off that circulating fat (i.e. - not doing the 20 minutes), you’ll redeposit it! So try not to skip this portion.

As steady state cardio uses fat as its primary energy source, it will use the circulating fat as it is readily available.

So....a good basic starting point for interval work whether it is on a bike, or elliptical, or treadmill, or just walking/jogging outside could be:
2 minutes at a slow speed then 1 minute at a fast pace / repeat this cycle 3 times. Then go slow for 5 minutes, this is when the fat releases into the bloodstream. Last (most important!) 20 minutes of "steady state" pace (roughly the same speed you were doing the slow intervals.)
Another variation is 1.5 minutes - slow then 30 secs. sprint - 3 cycles and then the 5 min. / 20 min. parts.
However many cycles you choose to start with (3 is what was recommended to me) stay with that number for a week before adding another interval.

I have a journal thread in the Workout Journals. It's called "Work in Progress - FitoverForty" You can look at some of the most recent pages to see some examples of the HIIT workouts I've been doing. Not trying to "toot my own horn" just trying to give you some ideas for your own intervals and a little info and/or help, 'cause I sure needed some when I first started!! Hope this helps you! Intervals are the best thing in the world when done right to blast fat and condition the body!
I've been reading your posts and just wanted to say, you are doing great! Keep up the hard work, you have the mindset and determination needed for success, and I've no doubt you will achieve the results you are looking for.
another good link to read about interval work is:
http://www.intervaltraining.net/Interva ... _Loss.html

I thought of another interval question! How long should intervals take? I usually go 15 minutes straight but should I be going for a straight half-hour?

a good starting point for interval length could be as follows:

1 minute - fast / 2 minutes slower (recovery)
repeat that cycle 3 times
next: 5 minutes of slow speed
last: 20 minutes of steady state (same speed as the 2 minute recovery)

So 3 cycles of intervals = 9 minutes
5 minutes slow
20 minutes steady = total workout time 34 minutes

The next week do one additional interval, keep the 5 minute and 20 minute times the same. Don't increase speed, just add an interval.
Continue to add one interval each week until you reach 6 intervals.
After completing your week of 6 intervals - the next week you would start over at 3 intervals, but now you will increase your speed for each cycle.
For example: if you were doing 1 minute at 3.0 mph - then increase it to 3.4, or whatever you are comfortable with and the same with the 2 minute speed. Repeat the 5 min. and 20 minute a little faster than before. And each week add one more interval, repeating the process until you reach 6 intervals - then it starts over again at 3 with increased speed.
Try not to skip the 20 minutes of steady cardio, it is really important - as I described in the earlier post here.
Hope this helps!

Keep in mind that burning calories is like burning gasoline. You need oxygen for either of them to burn. So if you are breathing hard, you are burning calories. If you are not breathing hard you are not burning much. So if you are doing resistance exercises and you need to catch your breath after the set, you are burning calories just as if you were riding the bike.

Hard breathing = calorie burning.

Everyone here seems to have some very good information regarding interval training.

Something to keep in mind though, virtually everyone is at a different level of physical condition. Therefore, what works for one individual may not work for another. In fact it could be dangerous.

Before I started on my interval training program, I did two things. First, I went to the doctor. Good thing I did because not only did he discover I had high blood pressure, but also high cholesterol levels. With the proper drugs, those issues have been addressed. Had I started an interval training program without seeing the doctor first, I would have put myself at risk.

The second thing I did was hire a trainer. That was an extremely important move as he helped put me on a program that was suited for my ability and medical condition. Also, he designed the program based on what my goals were. He put my wife on another program because her goals were different than mine. As a result, I am now on a program that suits my needs perfectly.

So, while interval training is effective, you need to make sure that you are doing it correctly. After all, if done incorrectly, you will not see the results that you are looking for and will lose motivation.

Peter
http://www.fitnessover50.org

Out of curiosity, have you now been allowed off the Cholesterol and Blood Pressure meds? Assuming it was such meds you had prescribed .

I'm assuming being in your age range, is not likely to affect too much, how long you would have to be on those, until lifestyle habits would mean you could stay off the meds, without recurrance of former problems.

Exercise can reduce your blood serum cholesterol levels. So after about 6 months of exercising you should see if your cholesterol levels still require the medications. Some of these medications are damaging to the liver, so eliminating or reducing the dosages can be beneficial.

The Intervals (fast and slow combo) = Mobilization (– mobilizing body fat (triglycerides) breaking it down into free fatty acids)

5 minutes slow = Transport - gives the body a chance to draw as many of the triglycerides (fat) into the blood stream for burning off

20 minutes steady = Oxidation - IMPORTANT! if you don’t actually burn off that circulating fat (i.e. - not doing the 20 minutes), you’ll redeposit it! So try not to skip this portion.

Learn something new everyday. I never heard that about the three stages before. Very cool.

try 100 meter repeats...guaranteed to build cardio fast...I saw a workout of the week on this at sportsciencelab.com