There is so much research available now that confirms the huge benefits of interval training, particularly if you want to increase your chances of fat-burning. Interval training is a great way to exercise…when taking our personal training clients through their individual programs, they regularly perform short bursts of high-intensity exercise. They see their desired results much faster (when also including the presence of a healthy diet and effective recovery).
However, if you are a newcomer to exercise, have a particular health condition or have never trained this way before, we highly recommend seeking the advice of a professional before commencing an interval training program. Why? Because of the nature of training this way, if your body isn’t ready to cope with the extra effort required from short bursts of high intensity, you could risk injuring yourself. If you have areas of muscle tension, lack of strength or are just unfamiliar with this way of training, getting it wrong could set you back for quite some time.
All of that said, interval training is a fantastic way to burn more calories in a shorter space of time. If you like to run, cycle, swim, briskly walk or even train at home with bodyweight exercises, increasing your intensity will really pay off.
So, how do you know when you are working hard enough to reap the extra benefits? Think about how much effort you are putting into your workout. If you poodle along and could continue the activity for a long time, you are not working hard enough!!! If you ‘push’ yourself by increasing your intensity and find that you can only continue for a short time (around 60 seconds is a good starting point) then this is around the optimal level. Short periods of hard work followed by short periods of active recovery, i.e. ease off on the intensity but continue moving, is exactly the way to interval train.
Adding this to your normal exercise routine will not only give you variety, but it will also help you tone up, get fitter and see your desired results more quickly.


