Strickland Fitness

Interval Training

There is a lot of talk about the differences between interval and cardiovascular or aerobic training. People are unsure which is better in terms of calorie burning. Studies have shown that interval training is the most optimal method for burning calories.

So what is interval training?

Interval training is a process of raising and lowering your heart rate between two pre-set numbers. This can be done by running, rowing, riding a stationary bike, or any other apparatus that can raise your heart rate.

There are many different formulas used to find your minimum and maximum heart rate. One of the most effective formulas is the Karvonen Formula. First, determine your maximum heart rate (MHR). 220-your age = maximum heart rate. Next, determine the intensity at which you plan to train. Beginners or a low level of fitness should train at 40-70% of MHR. Intermediate levels of fitness should train between 50-80% of MHR. High or advanced level of fitness should train between 60-85% of MHR. Lastly, find your resting heart rate (RHR). The Karvonen Formula is as follows: (MHR-RHR) x intensity + RHR = training heart rate. So for an intermediate fitness level, you would train at a minimum heart rate of 50% and a maximum heart rate of 80%.

Let’s put the formula into place and do an interval. We will use running for this example of how to interval train. John is 30, has a resting heart rate of 75 and has an intermediate fitness level. His MHR would be 190 (220-age). 190-75 (MHR-RHR) = 115. 115 x .50 (intensity) = 58 + 75   (RHR) = 133. This would be John’s minimum heart rate. His maximum heart rate would be 115 (MHR-RHR) x .80 (intensity) = 92 + 75 (RHR) = 167. John’s maximum heart rate would be 167. John would interval train between a heart rate of 133 and 167. Let’s take John to the track. After a good warm up, John starts his intervals. He runs as fast as possible until his heart rate hits 167. He then stops and slowly walks until his heart rate hits 133. Once it hits 133, he starts sprinting again until his heart rate hits 167. He stops and walks until 133 and goes again. This is interval training. After 8 of these sprints, John is exhausted.

Extras:

The best way to monitor your heart rate would be to get a heart rate monitor. It is much easier than trying to take your pulse while working out.

If you are new to fitness, try walking or jogging for the first 2 weeks before starting to interval train.

You can run, bike, row, or step for interval training.

Remember to consult a physician before beginning any fitness program.

Interval training is far more effective and time efficient than static exercise. You will burn far more calories in a less amount of time and you will continue to burn calories even after you have finished.

If you have any questions or need more info about interval training, please email me.

This is my workout for today: Weight training with some intervals in the pool.

3 sets of 10 deadlifts. Heavy weight.

2 sets of 1 minute side planks on each side.

3 sets of 20 body weight calf raises.

3 sets of 8-10 lat pull downs. Heavy weight

3 sets of 20, 1 leg pelvic raises.

3 sets of 8-10, 1 arm rows. Heavy weight.

10, 50 meter sprints in the pool.

Today, I focused on hamstrings and back with a little work on calves and core. Intervals in the pool will finish me off. Workout time: 1 hour and 15 minutes.

I have a goal of losing 20 pounds and so far I have lost 10. I seem to have hit a wall and the weight has stopped coming off. What should I do?

Well, if you are losing weight, then your nutrition is probably really good. What needs to change is your cardio and weight training. Our bodies adapt to the stresses placed on it, so that is a good possibility of why you hit a plateau. If your body has adapted to your training, surprise it. Try doing some interval training for your cardio and mix up your weight training routine.

Do diets really work?

Diets are a short term answer to a long term problem. The only diet that really works is a lifestyle change. Try making subtle adjustments to your nutrition so your body and mind can adapt. Keep making the changes until you have a healthy diet everyday…not just for the next couple weeks.

When should I weigh myself?

You should weigh yourself in the morning. That is the time of day you will get the most accurate number. The most important thing is weighing yourself at the same time of each weighing day.

I got really tired and light headed right when I started working out, what’s going on there?

One possibility is you have low blood sugar. If you haven’t eaten within an hour of working out, your body doesn’t have the fuel to perform. Try eating a balanced healthy meal an hour before working out.

Is running on a treadmill the same as running outside?

It is a good alternative, but it is not the same. Treadmills are moving so it is actually helping you along. Most people can run faster on a treadmill than they can on the ground. You will also burn a bit more calories on the ground than on the treadmill.

To really define your chest, you have to hit it from all angles. A lot of people focus on one or two chest exercises to work the pecs. In fact, the list of chest exercises is long, ranging from light to intense. There are also ways to challenge yourself outside of just adding more weight. Let’s take a look at a few common and a few not so common pectoral exercises.

Most gyms have stationary machines and free weights. Each of these can vary how you work your chest along with the rest of your body. The stationary machines where you sit down and press the weight forward are very one dimensional. They stabilize the rest of the body while focusing the isolation on the chest. This is great if you are doing very heavy weights or are a beginner to weight lifting. The chest fly machine is also great for chest shaping and isolation while stabilizing the rest of the body. In both of these exercises, the shoulders will be working as well to move the weight, but the little muscles that help stabilize the muscles in the shoulders aren’t as active.

The next set of chest exercises add a little less stabilization of the shoulders causing them to work a little harder. A standard flat bench press is a great chest builder. Being that the bar is free in movement, the shoulders have to work to keep the bar in one plane of motion. The rest of the body is stabilized by the bench you are laying on. When doing the bench press, concentrate on keeping your spine in a neutral position and not letting it arch when pressing the weight up. An incline bar press changes the angle at which you work your pecs and adds a little more shoulder work than a flat bench. To finish it off, hit the decline bar press for an all around chest blast.

The last set of exercises adds size and shape to the chest while forcing the shoulder stabilizers to work extra hard. A dumbbell press on a flat, incline, or decline bench leaves the arms to move in all directions while pressing or lowering the weight. This is what causes the shoulders to work even harder while trying to keep the weight in one plane of motion. Using cables for a chest press or flys are great for the pecs, shoulders, and the core. Being that you don’t have a bench to lay on, the cables force your core to engage.

For an all around strong and defined chest, mix up the chest workouts. Do some with free weights or bars to keep the shoulder stabilizers strong. Use cables to work your core. Use machines to hit it hard. Again, if you are new to working out, begin on the machines and work your way up to the free weights and cables.

Believe it or not, you have a 6-pack. You may not see it, but it’s there. When you see someone with ripped abs, you are seeing what fat normally hides. Crunches, sit ups, leg raises, and all the ab machines you see advertised on TV strengthen and shape your abs, but it’s the eating right and fat burning that makes them appear. If you look carefully, anyone with rock hard abs has a low fat body to go with it.

Eating right and doing intense cardio (preferably intervals) are crucial partners to all the exercises you do to get ripped abs. All three help in the fat burning process necessary for your abs to come through. You could do thousands of crunches a day, but without the first two elements, you will have strong ripped abs underneath any fat you have over them.

Now let’s look at our “abs.” This term is short for Rectus Abdominus. This muscle is responsible for flexing the lumbar spine and the muscle you see on fit people. So you shouldn’t only train your abs for looks, but for postural support as well. A common misconception is doing exercises to train your lower and upper abs. The Rectus Abdominus is one muscle with no dividing line between upper and lower. There are other muscles that make up the complete abdominal area. These are the Transverse Abdominals, the Internal Obliques and the External Obliques. Different exercises train these different areas. You should be sure to train these other muscles as much as you train your Rectus Abdominus. This will keep your posture strong and help to give you a slim waist to match your new 10-pack!