How Important is Interval Training For Losing Weight and Fat Loss?



by Jayson Hunter RD, CSCS
There has been a lot of talk in the last year or so regarding what
type of exercise you should be doing to maximize your fat loss. There
are also studies showing that a certain form of exercise may be
superior to other types of exercise.
First before we begin lets establish your baseline. If you have not
exercised before or you are very out of shape then you need to build a
base level of conditioning. To do this I recommend you start taking
walks and every time you walk try to walk faster than the time before.
Or if you have a treadmill or bike, etc you can follow the same plan.
Every time you exercise attempt to work hard than you did the time
before.
Once you have worked on your conditioning for lets say 2-3x a week
for 3 weeks then you should be ready for a more intense form of
conditioning that will accelerate your fat loss.
This more intense form of conditioning is called interval training.
There has been a good amount of research done that shows interval
training is superior to static level cardio based on calories burned
and ultimately fat lost.
So what is this "interval training?"
Interval training can be completed with cardio exercises or strength
training exercises. Strength training intervals is becoming very
popular because we are finding that you can burn additional calories
for hours and hours after you complete your workout.
Here is a sample strength training interval.
Pushups
Lunges
1-Arm Row
Squat and Press
Instead of completing these 4 exercises by themselves and resting 2
minutes between sets you need to combine these 4 exercises into 1
circuit.
So you will complete 1 set of pushups for 8-10 reps and then with
minimal rest move to lunges for 1 set of 8-10 reps each leg, then again
with minimal rest complete 1 set of 1-arm rows for 8-10 reps. Finally
complete the circuit with a squat and press for 8-10 reps.
That is one circuit. You just completed these 4 exercises in the
amount of time it would have taken to complete 2 sets of normal pushups
with your 2 minute rest. The benefit to completing this in a circuit
type fashion is because you have not only improved your strength, but
you increased your volume and intensity. You are now burning more
calories in the same time it would have taken to complete your 2 sets
of pushups.
Now when you complete this circuit 2-3 times and you are done with
your workout in 30 minutes you will have worked harder than if you
completed straight sets of the same 4 exercises which would have taken
probably 45 minutes to complete.
So you are saving time with this type of workout and getting more
bang for your buck, but the bigger benefit is that training this way
can keep your metabolism elevated for up to 39 hours after your
workout. That's right 39 hours after your workout you could be burning
extra calories.
This is the beauty of strength training using intervals rather than
working out with straight sets and lots of rest. Of course I have
discussed the benefit of increasing your metabolism and burning fat so
we won't go into that again here. If you want a lean body it is
essential to ramp up your metabolism and burn more calories.
Strength training does this with a minimal amount of time and with
the biggest benefit when compared to other forms of burning calories.
Just think of completing 3 workouts a week that keeps your metabolism
elevated for up to 39 hours each time. You essentially could have your
metabolism running faster 24 hours a day 7 days a week.
Who wouldn't want that?
If you are not strength training using intervals then start with the
sample workout above and also check out a colleagues website. He has
developed a system of strength training called Turbulence training that is designed to burn the maximum amount of fat in the least amount time. Make sure you check out Turbulence Training
and see how he has laid out everything regarding strength training you
need to be succesful with exercise and fat loss. The kicker is you can
do it under 30 minutes per workout.

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