Interval Training – Combining Low-Intensity with High-Intensity Fat Burning Exercises

Have you been doing crunches and sit ups daily for weeks now and still feel frustrated why your six-pack abs are still out of sight? You may already have them in there but, sadly, that layer of excess fats around your belly conceals them. That is why it’s very important for anyone to get rid of fats – to lose excess weight and for all your hard work at the gym to be evident.

In burning fats, one must not dread having to stick to long and boring workout routines. The truth is that there‘s a method that can be very effective at blasting those unwanted layers of fats, without taking so much of your time, and it’s called interval training.

What is Interval Training?

Interval training is packing a combination of low-intensity and high-intensity fat burning exercises, all in a period of 20-60 minutes. By doing short intervals of each type of fat burning exercises one after the other, you will attain a full body workout and maximize your fat-burning abilities.

When it comes to which type of workout is best for getting rid of excess fats efficiently, even fitness experts themselves bicker. For some, low-intensity workout is best for fat burning because sustaining a light exercise for a period of time, such as walking or light stationary biking, enables the body to use fats as a source of energy.

On the other hand, there are those who defend high-intensity workout as the best for fat burning because the powerful exercise requires for the body to use up lots of stored energy. But why take sides when you can have the best of both worlds? With interval training, you get to benefit from both arguments of fitness experts.

If you’re going to try out interval training, it’s important for you to know what your maximum heart rate is (MHR). You can compute your MHR by using the following formulas:

  • Men: 202 – (.55 x age) = MHR
  • Women: 216 – (1.09 x age) = MHR

So if, for example, you’re a 32-year old man, your MHR is 184.4 or 184, based on the given formula above.

How is it Executed?

The good thing about interval training is you can do it both at home and at the gym. You may or may not use certain workout equipment, as interval training is very flexible, depending on your preferred workout routine. But do have a wristwatch with you, because you need to monitor your MHR as you go along.

You may begin by warming up your muscles for 5-10 minutes by walking in place or doing some stretching. Warming up is very important to prepare your body’s systems for the workout, and also to minimize the risk of getting injured. Once you are through with your warm up, you may now begin with a low-intensity fat burning exercise, such as doing crunches, leg lifts, squats or any other exercise of your choice for 2 minutes.

After 2 minutes, switch to a high-intensity fat burning exercise. You can do jumping jacks, brisk walking, running, jumping rope and other intense activity. If you’re at the gym, you may also use a stationary bike, spinner, rowing machine or elliptical trainer. Any exercise of your choice will do, as long as it’s intense and you do it as hard as you can. But do take note of your own safety; if it’s possible to stick to low-impact exercises without compromising intensity, then all is much better.

Remember the MHR we computed earlier? This is when it becomes important: your high-intensity fat burning exercise should last for 1 minute, and your heart rate should be as close to your MHR as possible. So, in the given example, a 32-year old man should have a heart rate of 150-180 while doing the high-intensity fat burning exercise part of the interval training for 1 minute. Never try to go beyond your MHR.

After 1 minute, switch back to a low-intensity fat burning exercise, and do it once more for 2 minutes. You may do the same exercise you once did before bursting into that 1-minute high-intensity fat burning exercise, or try a different one to prevent you from getting bored. Once the 2 minutes are done, switch again to a high-intensity fat burning exercise for 1 minute, staying as close as possible to your MHR. Just do cycles of everything from 20-60 minutes.

Once you’re done with your interval training, do 5-10 minutes of cooling down, doing some activities you did during your warm up. Doing interval training daily may put you at risk for injuries; fitness experts recommend doing it every other day or 3 times a week. For maximum results, while melting those excess fats, you may do weight lifting on days you’re not doing interval training, to develop your muscles.