Interval training?

distinctlybeautiful
distinctlybeautiful Posts: 1,041 Member
edited November 15 in Fitness and Exercise
Do any of y'all do cardio interval training with true rest periods (i.e., no activity)? It was recently suggested to me, and while I've been toying with the idea, I'm not sure I want to try it yet. I guess the idea of full rest feels foreign to me when it comes to cardio. What's your experience with it?

Replies

  • sijomial
    sijomial Posts: 19,809 Member
    edited January 2017
    Unless you are a sprinter I don't really get why you would do complete rest periods - what was the reasoning behind the suggestion?

    I pick my intervals to help improve my exercise/sporting performance.

    My main cardio sport is cycling so my intervals replicate the type of riding I do. High / low intensity interval repeats between 3 and 10 minutes over a long duration to replicate the type of cycling I do (hills!)..
    When I was a squash player I did fartlek training over a much shorter duration alternating fast run and brisk walking pace to replicate game play.
  • rybo
    rybo Posts: 5,424 Member
    There's nothing wrong with that type of pattern. It's pretty common.
  • NorthCascades
    NorthCascades Posts: 10,968 Member
    What are you training for?
  • ajwcyclist2016
    ajwcyclist2016 Posts: 161 Member
    I'm not sure if I would want to stop completely after a hard interval completely then go as hard 3 minutes later and not used my zone 1 recovery to flush the blood through the legs and make them feel normal again
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,865 Member
    I was a track and field sprinter from 2nd grade through my senior year in high school...that's pretty much how we trained.

    I do interval training now as a cyclist...I go at a higher intensity for a specified period of time and then have a specified period of time for recovery, but it's not "no activity"...I'm still going at an endurance pace in recovery.
  • kcjchang
    kcjchang Posts: 709 Member
    Not a sprinter, time crunched, and too boring. Here is an ideal what the training look like http://www.bodyrecomposition.com/training/what-is-sprint-training.html/.
  • distinctlybeautiful
    distinctlybeautiful Posts: 1,041 Member
    NorthCascades wrote: »
    What are you training for?

    General awesomeness.. :)
    sijomial wrote: »
    Unless you are a sprinter I don't really get why you would do complete rest periods - what was the reasoning behind the suggestion?

    I'm honestly not sure. I didn't ask.
  • rybo
    rybo Posts: 5,424 Member
    edited January 2017
    I'm a little surprised that no one has done this before. Cardio doesn't only apply to running & cycling. KB swings, battle ropes, sprints, sled pushes/pulls, weighted carries, burpees, and many other movements can be done as cardio/conditioning where the rest periods are just that. Rest. 30 sec on 30 sec rest is a very common protocol. Depending on you fitness level, you can extend the rest, 30 sec work, 60 sec rest, or even 30/90.
  • GiddyupTim
    GiddyupTim Posts: 2,819 Member
    It's called SMIT -- supramaximal interval training. It is the latest iteration of HIIT, except instead of going pretty hard for 20-30 seconds, then slowing for 10 seconds, you go balls out for 20-30 seconds and then rest a minute or two. They found it is better at improving cardiovascular fitness than HIIT and it appears to be so good that if you do two intervals it is better than doing three or more. (Diminishing returns, for some reason.)
    https://www.stir.ac.uk/news/news-archive/2017/01/workouts-with-fewer-reps-could-yield-better-results/
    I'm a distance runner and I find sprint training indispensable to getting better. You can run for miles without really feeling like you have expanded your lung capacity and strengthened your heart. But do a good sprint, and your hands are on your knees, you cannot catch your breath and your heart is in your throat. Do that for a month, and you will notice the panting is less, your heart is not racing so hard and you recover quicker.
    I like to do a workout (from Carrie Tolefson) of: Run a mile (4 laps on the track) at 5k speed; rest two minutes. Run 3/4ths of a mile (3 laps) same speed; rest two minutes. Run half mile; rest 1-2 minutes. Run 400 meters; rest 1 minute. Then, do four, 200-meter all-out sprints with two minute rests in between.
  • kcjchang
    kcjchang Posts: 709 Member
    rybo wrote: »
    I'm a little surprised that no one has done this before. Cardio doesn't only apply to running & cycling. KB swings, battle ropes, sprints, sled pushes/pulls, weighted carries, burpees, and many other movements can be done as cardio/conditioning where the rest periods are just that. Rest. 30 sec on 30 sec rest is a very common protocol. Depending on you fitness level, you can extend the rest, 30 sec work, 60 sec rest, or even 30/90.

    It boils down to the duration and intensity of muscular contractions involved as well as by how energy is generated within the muscle. Not sure if form can be maintained for exercises you cite without explosive force which doesn't meet the definition of the term (no absolutes since aerobic system is always on). I guess it could be done. Just depends on how one expands the definition.
  • kandisn7
    kandisn7 Posts: 66 Member
    I had a trainer tell me one time that this is excellent for heart health. But it wasn't as much about complete rest as it was about letting your heartbeat calm and resume a normal rate.
  • tarothelp
    tarothelp Posts: 167 Member
    I do tabata intervals on the treadmill there is a wonderful free app for iPhone tabata timer I complete 4 rounds of 20 seconds on 10 seconds off I do this for 20 mins i love it works for me and continue to challenge by adding incline or up the speed
    20 seconds on 8mph
    Jump to side for 10 seconds

    I do this 8 times for 4 rounds totals 20 mins I increase incline / speed as needed to consistently challenge

    Intervals are fantastic

    Works for me!
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