Work harder, not longer for results
This week's Morning North wellness column is all about the benefits of interval training
When it comes getting fit, YMCA Sudbury trainer and wellness coach Brian Woods says one can achieve the same results in 25 minutes versus 60.
The catch is, you have to push yourself to the point of exhaustion.
"If you give yourself these little bursts of activity — usually 15 to 30 seconds with two to three minutes recovery in between these exertion periods — you accomplish as much with between 10 and 12 of these little 30-second intervals as you would riding a bike for a hour at a relatively good, steady state pace or tempo," Woods said.
Not everyone enjoys pushing themselves to the point where they need to make themselves very uncomfortable many times during the workout, the trainer acknowledged.
"To realize you are struggling, that your legs are failing, that your lungs aren't supplying enough air and you have to stop, gasp, recover and them come back and do it again."
If you tax your body to the point that it realizes that it needs more energy and oxygen, over time it learns how to scavenge extra glycogen and oxygen to make it more effective and stronger, Woods said.
Another benefit of interval training is your body continues to burn and metabolize energy at a high rate — even after working out, he added. Athletes who need to be explosive and powerful can benefit most from this type of training. In the end, interval training increases one's fitness and turns body fat into muscle faster.
Woods said it's a great benefit — if you don't mind doing five minutes of burpees instead of running on the treadmill for 30 minutes.