Monday Move of the Week: Interval Training!

Thanksgiving is right around the corner - next Thursday, to be exact. Sure doesn't feel like it around Nashville with these 70+ degree days! But whether we're wearing tank tops and shorts or sweaters and jeans, the holiday season is fast approaching. With the family get-togethers, shopping and partying that we find ourselves "having" to do, a regular exercise routine can fall by the wayside. Rather than throwing exercise plans totally out the window, you can still reap great benefits in less time by doing some interval training.

Interval training is exactly what it sounds like: mixing in bouts of higher intensity cardio exercise with lower intensity "active recovery" periods at regularly scheduled intervals. It is basically a form of speedwork and burns a TON of calories - more, some studies say, than if you went out and jogged at your regular pace for an hour. You can get a killer workout in and still make it to your holiday party on time! You don't need any equipment for this type of workout except a watch. If you'd like to do this outside then great, or if you'd like to go to your local gym and hop on your favorite piece of cardio equipment that's great too. (Another requirement for this is a decent exercise base. If you're a complete beginner, not having exercised in quite some time, then I suggest you stick with some lower-intensity cardio for a while and build up a base before you tackle the intervals.)

When I put my clients through cardio intervals, I use an intensity scale of 1-10. A 1 is lying on the couch and watching TV - basically doing nothing. A 5 is walking a happy, active dog. An 8 is high intensity but not quite all-out -- more like if you had tickets to a Broadway play and you were on the verge of being late so you're hurrying through the theater lobby as fast as you can to find your seat before the curtain goes up. A 10 is an all-out sprint, something that you can't do for more than 15 seconds. (Those descriptions may sound a bit goofy, but I bet you can relate to them more so than if I told you to work at 70% of your maximum effort!)

So, keeping those intensity levels in mind, here's an example of an interval training workout I'd put a client of mine through:

Warm up with light cardio for 10 minutes - level 4-5
Increase the intensity a little more for 5 minutes - level 5-6
30 seconds at level 9
90 seconds at 5-6
repeat 4 more times for a total of 5
3 minutes at level 5-6
2 minutes at level 4
Total time: 30 minutes

Here's another example that's a little more advanced (only because the work intervals get longer):
Warm up with light cardio for 5 minutes - level 5
1:00 at 8
2:00 at 5-6
1:30 at 8
1:30 at 5-6
2:00 at 8
1:00 at 5-6
3:00 at 8
3:00 at 5-6
2:00 at 8
1:00 at 5-6
1:30 at 8
1:30 at 5-6
1:00 at 8
2:00 at 5-6
Cool down with 1-6 minutes at level 4-5
Total time: 30-35 minutes

And a final one, one of my faves - The Pyramid of Pain! The active recovery period stays the same, but the work interval increases up the pyramid before heading back down the other side. This one requires a little more attention to your watch. You may want to use your lap button function, or maybe write down the times you need to change your intensity at on a piece of paper:
Warm up for 15 minutes at level 5
:30 at 8 (start this at minute 15:00)
:30 at 5 (15:30)
1:00 at 8 (16:00)
:30 at 5 (17:00)
1:30 at 8 (17:30)
:30 at 5 (19:00)
2:00 at 8 (19:30)
:30 at 5 (21:30)
1:30 at 9 (22:00)
:30 at 5 (23:30)
1:00 at 9-10 (24:00)
:30 at 5 (25:00)
:30 as hard as you can go!!! (25:30)
4 minutes cool down at level 4-5 (26:00)
Total time: 30 minutes

Over the next several weeks, I will continue to discuss time-saving, calorie-burning moves in my Monday's Move of the Week to keep you motivated through the holidays. Come January 1st, I don't want anyone's New Year's Resolution List to include one for losing the 10 pounds gained in December!!!