To my knowledge, most people are now pretty familiar with interval training, or HIIT (high intensity interval training) If you’re not familiar, intervals are essentially a period of high intensity (sprints) interspersed with a period of low intensity (walking/resting).
They are a great choice for fat loss – if you do them correctly.
Say, for example, Susie decides to hop on the stairclimber and push the “interval” button. In this case, typically she will get a series of random intervals.
3 minutes fast, 2 minutes slow, 30 second sprint, 4 minutes of rest, 5 minutes fast, 3 minutes slow, so on and so forth. Great for variety, and probably keeps her mind busy.
Bad for fat loss.
Why? Well, if your intervals are random, your results will probably be…random.
You need to keep your work and rest periods strict. Want to know my favorite interval training program?
Wait for it…
1 minute fast/1 minute slow. 15-20 minutes total.
That’s it. That’s all you need. I’ve used this for years with myself and hundreds of clients, and it is brutally effective. The key is:
- 1 minute fast allows you to go pretty fast. You need your high intensity periods to be intense to elicit the best fat loss effect.
- 1 minute slow does not allow for complete recovery. Your heart will still be pumping! This is key for fat loss – incomplete recovery.
Now, once you have some experience under your belt, you can start to use some more variety. Other more advanced options include:
- 15 seconds fast/45 seconds slow
- 30 seconds fast/1 minute slow
- 2 minutes fast/2 minutes slow
- 90 seconds fast/90 seconds slow
Never go longer than 2 minutes for either your work or rest period if fat loss is your goal.
Do you do intervals or HIIT? What are you work and rest periods? I’d love to know!