EXERCISE is a critical component of any healthy lifestyle, and there’s something out there for everyone. But if your primary goal is fat burning, you need to learn about one type of exercise in particular.
What is Interval Training and what are the benefits?
Interval training is a routine composed of short, repetitive bursts of muscle activity, followed by plenty of rest. The specific combination of the duration, intensity, and recovery involved in interval training combine to make it the best possible fat-burning exercise.
The secret is that more than any other type of exercise, interval training increases your body’s production of the fat-burning, anti-aging growth hormone by 450%!
When you’re trying to determine if something fits the definition of interval training, or trying to come up with a routine that fits your needs, think about the following:
1. Does this exercise entail intense, simple, repetitive actions?
It should. Repeat the action for at least fifteen seconds, working your way up to 30 seconds, 60 seconds, 90 seconds, or to exhaustion.
2. Does this routine incorporate relatively long periods of rest?
It should. If you repeat your exercise for 30 seconds, rest for three minutes.
3. Is this routine designed to be repeated every other day?
It should. Interval training relies on rest and recovery as much as it relies on its intensity.
If you’re just starting to incorporate exercise into your life, you may want to wait until you have your sleep and energy levels in order before you start on interval training. Once you are ready, however, interval training’s benefits kick in with even the simplest routines.
Part of the beauty of interval training is that it is, by definition, a pretty low commitment. The routines are brief. You don't need any equipment, and the schedule is light.All this, and yet the benefits are enormous.
4. What exercises can I do for interval training?
If it’s intense and repetitive, you can most likely use it for interval training. You can push against a wall for 15 seconds at a time, or do as many push ups or sit ups as you can in a given time frame.
You can jump rope for hop from one foot to the other. Two of my primary recommendations for interval training, however, are cycling and jumping routines.
If you like riding a bicycle, try doing brief sprints or small climbs followed by a good, long period of coasting. This isn’t the best option for beginners, however, because cycling can be an intense cardiovascular workout for the entire body, and sprinting and climbing might be too hard.
If cycling isn’t for you, it doesn’t get simpler than jumping. Yes, jumping! One of the best exercises for interval training is to jump on to stable platform, jump down, and repeat. You can do this on any stable surface you want.
I recommend that beginners try holding the railing on a staircase and jumping one or two steps at a time to start off. I even have a 75-year-old patient who does this at home!
If you do decide to take up interval training, the other thing you should keep in mind is that to maintain the benefits of the workout, you need to continually increase the intensity of your activity.
That means doing the exercises for longer, or doing more intense exercises. It means jumping on and off higher platforms, sprinting faster and climbing longer on your bicycle, doing harder things for a longer period of time.
It does NOT mean cutting your rest and recovery periods.
If you’re feeling up to a workout to boost your ability to burn fat, you’re in luck. You can start doing interval training today, right now, wherever you are.
Dr. Eric Berg
08/31/2023
