Interval Training

[Yellow]

Dear Interval Trainers,

I need your help.

I am thinking of switching to interval training but I don't quite know what I need to do as a beginner. I have been treadmilling. My long term goal is to lose excess fat in some areas and tone my muscles. Because I am only starting to get regular at the gym, my goal for now is to make sure I continue to enjoy it. So, in order to do that, I do low intensity cardio for 30min and work my triceps.

I am beginning to learn that there are more effective ways to lose fat (and improve cardiovascular health). I am enjoying it enough to kick it up a notch. But I am not too sure how.

Any help will be much appreciated.

[ginkgo]

From my site below on losing weight.

Doing cardio is very good for circulation and losing weight. Resistance training builds muscles. Resistance training, like lifting weights, does not burn as much calories as cardio, but the extra muscle causes you to burn more calories all the time. With more muscle you burn more calories 24/7 even while you are sleeping as long as you have it. A pound of extra muscle burns an extra 40 calories per day according to Wockhardt Hospital and Mass Builders Newsletter, June 1998. The purpose of bodybuilding (a type of resistance training) is to sculpt your body (like a sculptor sculpting clay) so it will look exactly the way you want it to look.

Then there is a new kind of cardio that can also be bodybuilding. I forget the fancy name but it is where you work hard for 30 seconds and relax for 30 seconds. The times vary. But you can squat with weights for 15 reps, relax 30 secs and repeat. That does resistance training and the new cardio.

[goldberg]

Originally Posted by Yellow

Dear Interval Trainers,

I need your help.

I am thinking of switching to interval training but I don't quite know what I need to do as a beginner. I have been treadmilling. My long term goal is to lose excess fat in some areas and tone my muscles. Because I am only starting to get regular at the gym, my goal for now is to make sure I continue to enjoy it. So, in order to do that, I do low intensity cardio for 30min and work my triceps.

I am beginning to learn that there are more effective ways to lose fat (and improve cardiovascular health). I am enjoying it enough to kick it up a notch. But I am not too sure how.

Any help will be much appreciated.

Here is a very simple one which I do in the park. 30 seconds running at maximum velocity, then 30 seconds jogging. Repeat until you get to 5 minutes (or less if that is too much). You will probably already be done at this point if you were doing it properly. Gradually work your way up to doing 15 minutes. If you have made it that far then you should be in pretty good shape.