Interval training: Can it boost your calorie-burning power?

Interval training is a powerful tool for novice exercisers and accomplished athletes alike. Here's how it works.

By Mayo Clinic staff

Are you ready to shake up your workout routine? Do you wish you could burn more calories without spending more time at the gym? Consider aerobic interval training. Once the domain of elite athletes, interval training has become a powerful tool for the average exerciser, too.

What is interval training?

It's not as complicated as you might think. Interval training is simply alternating bursts of intense activity with intervals of lighter activity.

Take walking. If you're in good shape, you might incorporate short bursts of jogging into your regular brisk walks. If you're less fit, you might alternate leisurely walking with periods of faster walking. For example, if you're walking outdoors, you could walk faster between certain mailboxes, trees or other landmarks.

What can interval training do for me?

Whether you're a novice exerciser or you've been exercising for years, interval training can help you jazz up your workout routine. Consider the benefits:

• You'll burn more calories. The more vigorously you exercise, the more calories you'll burn — even if you increase intensity for just a few minutes at a time.
• You'll improve your aerobic capacity. As your cardiovascular fitness improves, you'll be able to exercise longer or with more intensity. Imagine finishing your 60-minute walk in 45 minutes — or the additional calories you'll burn by keeping up the pace for the full 60 minutes.
• You'll keep boredom at bay. Turning up your intensity in short intervals can add variety to your exercise routine.
• You don't need special equipment. You can simply modify your current routine.

How will my muscles respond to interval training?

During intense exercise, muscles produce waste products that can contribute to muscle soreness. Too many accumulated waste products can make exercise painful and exhausting. But by alternating bursts of intense exercise with easier intervals, you'll help reduce the buildup of waste products in your muscles. The result is more comfortable exercise.

Are the principles of interval training the same for everyone?

Yes — but you can take interval training to many levels. If you simply want to vary your exercise routine, you can determine the length and speed of each high-intensity interval based on how you feel that day. After warming up, you might increase the intensity for 30 seconds and then resume your normal pace. The next burst of more intense activity may last two to three minutes. How much you pick up the pace, how often and for how long is up to you.

If you're working toward a specific fitness goal, you may want to take a more scientific approach. A personal trainer or other expert can help you time the intensity and duration of your intervals — which may include movement patterns similar to those you'll use during your sport or activity — based on your target heart rate, the ability of your heart and lungs to deliver oxygen to your muscles (peak oxygen intake) and other factors. This type of interval training also adds variety to your workout, but it requires more discipline and concentration.

Does interval training have risks?

Interval training isn't appropriate for everyone. If you have a chronic health condition or haven't been exercising regularly, consult your doctor before trying any type of interval training.

Also keep the risk of overuse injury in mind. If you rush into a strenuous workout before your body is ready, you may hurt your muscles, tendons or bones. Instead, start slowly. Try just one or two higher intensity intervals during each workout at first. If you think you're overdoing it, slow down. As your stamina improves, challenge yourself to vary the pace. You may be surprised by the results.

Alwyn Cosgrove – from Afterburn Extreme Fat Loss Training – Part II

by Stephen Holt, Stemulite Fitness Pro

The AFTERBURN ENERGY SYSTEM Routine

This can be performed using any cardiovascular machine, and I suggest that you use them all.

Multi-mode cardio (where you change the machine or type of activity regularly) has been shown in the research to be another more effective factor. So as a general guideline, don’t use the same cardio machine two workouts in a row.

The Routine:

* Warm up for five minutes
* Round: Perform 1 minute as fast as you can (a level 9 or 10 intensity – on a scale of 1-10).
* Recover at a moderate pace for two minutes (a level 6-7 intensity).
That’s one “round” – and it lasts three minutes
* Cool down for five minutes

Now alongside the weight training and nutrition program included in this e-book – I also want you to perform the Afterburn Energy System Routine several times each week.

These interval workouts can be done after your weight training workouts, later the same day or on separate days.

What I DON’T want you to do is to perform these routines BEFORE weight training. This will reduce the effectiveness of your program.

· Weeks One to Four:
Perform three rounds, three times per week. The total cardio time will be 19 mins per workout including warm up and cool down.

· Weeks Five to Eight:
Perform four rounds, four times per week. The total cardio time will be 22 mins per workout including warm up and cool down.

· Weeks Nine to Twelve:
Perform five rounds, four times per week.The total cardio time will be 25 mins per workout including warm up and cool down.

· Weeks Thirteen to Sixteen:
Perform six rounds, five times per week. The total cardio time will be 28 mins per workout including warm up and cool down.

This type of cardio training performed as prescribed, typically results in a 1-2lb fat loss per week. So over a sixteen week period, depending on your dedication to nutrition, supplementation and your weight training routine, we are looking at a possible loss of at least 16-30 plus lbs of fat.

Again, this is just a tiny excerpt from AFTERBURN – Extreme Fat Loss Training. Get it now at AlwynCosgroveFitness.com

Just a reminder: Ultra Fit SF LOVES interval training, so contact us today!!

Alwyn Cosgrove – from Afterburn Extreme Fat Loss Training – Part II

by Stephen Holt, Stemulite Fitness Pro

The AFTERBURN ENERGY SYSTEM Routine

This can be performed using any cardiovascular machine, and I suggest that you use them all.

Multi-mode cardio (where you change the machine or type of activity regularly) has been shown in the research to be another more effective factor. So as a general guideline, don’t use the same cardio machine two workouts in a row.

The Routine:

* Warm up for five minutes
* Round: Perform 1 minute as fast as you can (a level 9 or 10 intensity – on a scale of 1-10).
* Recover at a moderate pace for two minutes (a level 6-7 intensity).
That’s one “round” – and it lasts three minutes
* Cool down for five minutes

You should perform the Afterburn Energy System Routine several times each week.

These interval workouts can be done after your weight training workouts, later the same day or on separate days.

What I DON’T want you to do is to perform these routines BEFORE weight training. This will reduce the effectiveness of your program.

· Weeks One to Four:
Perform three rounds, three times per week. The total cardio time will be 19 mins per workout including warm up and cool down.

· Weeks Five to Eight:
Perform four rounds, four times per week. The total cardio time will be 22 mins per workout including warm up and cool down.

· Weeks Nine to Twelve:
Perform five rounds, four times per week.The total cardio time will be 25 mins per workout including warm up and cool down.

· Weeks Thirteen to Sixteen:
Perform six rounds, five times per week. The total cardio time will be 28 mins per workout including warm up and cool down.

This type of cardio training performed as prescribed, typically results in a 1-2lb fat loss per week. So over a sixteen week period, depending on your dedication to nutrition, supplementation and your weight training routine, we are looking at a possible loss of at least 16-30 plus lbs of fat.

Again, this is just a tiny excerpt from AFTERBURN – Extreme Fat Loss Training. Get it now at AlwynCosgroveFitness.com

We at Ultra Fit SF love Interval Training! Contact us for more information!

Alwyn Cosgrove – from Afterburn Extreme Fat Loss Training – Part II

by Stephen Holt, Stemulite Fitness Pro

Caloric expenditure

Fat loss is all about caloric expenditure. We must burn more calories than we take in, and the real key to doing this, as mentioned before, is not aerobic training, which will burn calories while you are doing it, its anaerobic training, which burns calories while you are doing it AND increases the calories burned for hours afterwards.

In the case of weight training, if we build muscle and keep it, that burns calories forever more. Even when you sleep!

The key with anaerobic training is what is known as EPOC. Anaerobic exercise burns a ton of calories while you are performing it. However, the metabolism remains elevated following this type exercise.

This was, at one time, referred to as the oxygen debt, but is now referred to as the excess post-exercise oxygen consumption (EPOC).

The recovery of the metabolic rate back to pre-exercise levels can require several minutes for light exercise (aerobic training), several hours for very heavy exercise (anaerobic cardio training), and up to 12 to 24 hours or even longer for prolonged, exhaustive exercise (interval training or circuit weight training).

The EPOC can add up to a substantial energy expenditure when totaled over the entire period of recovery. If the oxygen consumption following exercise remains elevated by an average of only 50 ml/min or 0.05 liter/min, this will amount to approximately 0.25 kcal/min or 15 kcal/hr.

If the metabolism remains elevated for five hours, this would amount to an additional expenditure of 75 kcal that would not normally be included in the calculated total energy expenditure for that particular activity.

This major source of energy expenditure, which occurs during recovery, but is directly the result of the exercise bout, is frequently ignored in most calculations of the energy cost of various activities.

If the individual in this example exercised five days per week, he or she would have expended 375 kcal, or lost the equivalent of approximately 0.1 pounds of fat in one week, or 1.0 pounds in 10 weeks, just from the additional caloric expenditure during the recovery period alone.

This is the key to maximizing the return on your exercise investment.

The next obvious idea is – if you trained the next day while your metabolism is still elevated, will we have an even higher return – is the effect accumulative? Is the whole greater than the sum of the parts? (these are great questions. where are the answers?)

Science has yet to give us an answer, however in the real world, I think so. I have seen amazing results with my clients using this exact protocol.

Interval training

So is there a better way of performing cardio workouts to prevent these adaptations, and rapidly improve fat loss results? Yes. The key is to perform what is known as interval training.

Interval training simply refers to a series of intense activity separated with short rest periods.

Through using interval training you are able to exercise at a higher intensity without getting tired. In other words – because we alternate the periods of high intensity work, with periods of lower intensity work – you are able to do much more work in the same time period than you were before.

The beauty of this is as you improve, the work intervals can get harder and harder, and the recovery intervals can be shortened, or performed at a higher speed.

In fact, there is no end in sight, and no downside to interval training (other than it is really hard).

Adult Calorie Requirement

In the contemporary times, people are becoming very calorie conscious. Well, calories are like a must for the body, as it is the calories that the human body burns in order to produce energy. But as it said that excess of anything is bad, same applies to the intake of calories too. If there is an excess of calories in our body, it gets stored in the form of fats, thus making us overweight.

Adult calorie requirement differs from that of a child and in the same ways the daily calorie requirement of an athlete would be distinct from that of a person who doesn't have a very active routine because his entire day goes away sitting in the front of computer, doing desk job. Thus, the calorie intake requirement differs from person to person, depending upon several factors like age, body composition and level of physical activity on a daily basis and many more.

The general recommendation as far as the calorie intake is concerned is that men need about 2700 calories per day and women require about 2000 calories per day. But these recommendations are suggested for average body structure adults, who perform their usual day-to-day activities and do not follow a vigorous workout.

It is suggested by dieticians that your calorie intake should be such that 50 to 60% of the total calorie intake is contributed by carbohydrates, 20% by proteins and 15 to 20% should come from fat. It is advisable for expectant mothers to consume 300 extra calories per day, whereas lactating mothers require about 550 calories at the initial level and at gradual levels, their calorie intake should be about 400 calories per day. Well, as vital are calories for the body, equally important is to burn the extra calories through an active fitness workout.

Burn 2,000 Calories on the Treadmill

Stay slim on your treadmill all season with this 7-day plan from Jenny Hadfield, author of Running for Mortals.

By the editors of FITNESS

Here's a good workout plan you can try, if you like the treadmill.

Monday

• Power walk: 30 minutes
• Strength-train: 20 minutes

Total: 50 minutes

Tuesday

• Warm up: Walk easily, then briskly: 3 minutes
• Power walk: 2 minutes
• Run fast (but don't sprint): 2 minutes
• Repeat Steps 1 & 2: 10 times
• Cool down: Walk easily: 2 minutes

Total: 45 minutes

Wednesday

• Warm Up: Walk easily: 5 minutes
• Do your favorite strength-training move: 12 reps
• Power walk at 4% to 6% incline: 3 minutes
• Repeat Steps 1 & 2: 6 times
• Cool down: Walk easily: 5 minutes

Total: 40 minutes

Thursday

• Warm Up: Walk easily, then briskly: 3 minutes
• Power walk: 2 minutes
• Run fast (but don't sprint): 2 minutes
• Repeat Steps 1 & 2: 6 times
• Cool down: Walk easily: 3 minutes

Total: 30 minutes

Friday

• Repeat Monday's routine

Saturday

• Warm Up: Walk easily, then briskly: 5 minutes
• Power walk: 2 minutes
• Run fast (but don't sprint): 4 minutes
• Repeat Steps 1 & 2: 6 times
• Cool Down: Walk easily: 4 minutes

Total: 45 minutes

Sunday

• Rest

Originally published in FITNESS magazine, November/December 2008.

Chemicals in Our Diets Lead to Obesity

Monday, September 14, 2009 by: Kim Evans, citizen journalist

Most people don`t think about how chemicals in their diets affect their weight or weight loss efforts. But the man-made chemicals you consume on a regular basis can play a big role in whether you`re fat or not - even if those chemicals don`t contain a single calorie.

To understand this, you'll need to know that your liver is your primary detoxification organ. Your liver is also your primary fat-burning organ. Therefore, the more unnatural chemicals you consume on a regular basis, the more time and energy your liver needs to spend detoxifying you. But, the more your liver is consumed with the role of detoxification, the less time and energy it will have for burning fat. It`s really that simple.

For example, we all clearly agree that pesticides are poisons; their primary purpose is to kill living organisms. We know that most non-organic foods are laced with pesticides, and we understand that pesticides don`t magically become non-poisonous inside our bodies. Our bodies see pesticides as poisons too.

How does your body treat a poison? It attempts to detoxify it. This means your body attempts to render the poison harmless, and then removes it from your body, generally through your colon. Your colon is your primary organ used to eliminate toxins from the body, and your liver is the organ most often responsible for rendering poisons harmless.

But what happens when people eat unnatural chemicals in most meals?

Our livers become overwhelmed with the need to detoxify all of those chemicals and poisons, and the poisons start to back up in our blood. The fact that this is happening in just about everyone has been confirmed by several looks inside the average person`s blood.

Your liver will also store toxins and poisons for you that is was unable to render harmless. It does this to keep those poisons out of your bloodstream and from circulating in your body.

But now your liver, in addition to being overwhelmed detoxifying all of the chemicals you`re consuming each day, is also losing its functionality and has become a storage facility for poisons it couldn`t render harmless. Some estimates are that three fourths of the average person`s liver is used to store toxins that the liver was unable to render harmless.

No wonder so many people think losing weight is challenging... Their primary fat burning organ is overwhelmed with another task, and it's become only half functional.

What is the answer? There are a couple of them.

The first is to stop consuming chemicals in your diet on a regular basis. This generally means giving up processed foods, except perhaps on the rare occasion, and eating organic foods as much as possible. Plant-based foods, particularly vegetables, are very liver friendly. If you learn how to prepare them so they`re delicious, it`ll be much easier for you...

This will prevent many new chemicals from entering your body, and is a tremendous step in the right direction. But what about those poisons already stored in your liver and circulating in your blood? Many people think that simply changing their diet to a more natural, chemical-free diet will address past toxicity, but for most, it isn`t powerful enough.

Liver cleansing is a powerful hundred year old practice that uses coffee enemas to detoxify the liver. The process helps your liver release its stored toxins into your colon for immediate removal. And through the liver, the bloodstream is also cleansed. Using coffee enemas regularly, with a natural diet, can make weight loss very easy by getting your prime fat-burning organ back on your side.
(I can't vouch for the coffee enemas, but I did find the article interesting. If any of you try liver detoxing, let me know. I'm excited to learn. - Melissa)