Short bursts or non stop?

chunkytub94
chunkytub94 Posts: 3 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
Hi guys
I am wondering, are short bursts of exercise better than non stop?
For example, I can run 5km on the treadmill non stop and then that would be my cardio done before I move onto weights etc.
But today I did short bursts of 3.5km with 10 minute breaks in between, taking my cardio up to 10.5km for the day. Which is a decent jump from my usual and, although difficult towards the end, felt great.
Should I stick to my 5km and slowly let it creep up, as I have down for a while, or should I continue doing these short bursts? Are they more effective than non stop?
I would love people's opinions or input on this.
Thank you!

Replies

  • suzannephillips76
    suzannephillips76 Posts: 6 Member
    Hi chunkytub (your name made me chuckle), that sounds like a great workout. I guess the answer to your question depends on your goals. Are you looking to burn fat, increase stamina, reduce running time for a distance race?
  • TavistockToad
    TavistockToad Posts: 35,719 Member
    i agree that it depends what your goals are, to what the best form of training is for you.
  • sijomial
    sijomial Posts: 19,809 Member
    edited April 2017
    "Better" and "more effective" needs to be in context of your personal goals (whatever they are).

    e.g. When my main sport was squash I did short duration fartlek training. Now my main sport is long distance cycling so I mainly work on endurance.
  • pondee629
    pondee629 Posts: 2,469 Member
    "Should I stick to my 5km and slowly let it creep up, as I have down for a while, or should I continue doing these short bursts? Are they more effective than non stop?"

    The easy answer is yes. You're running on more than one day, right? Mix it up. Creep up on you steady state distance on one day, do your "short bursts" another and alternate between them. Or mix them 2-1 or whatever feels right to you. Sounds more like your "short bursts" is speed work to complement your steady state distance endurance running. They do complement each other.
  • TimothyFish
    TimothyFish Posts: 4,925 Member
    "Better" depends on what you are training for.
  • genpopadopolous
    genpopadopolous Posts: 411 Member
    Both?

    I do some interval work because I think it helps my cardiovascular fitness, but I think the only real way to gain endurance is to run farther.

    I'm slow, my goal this year is to break a 30 minute 5K.
  • spiriteagle99
    spiriteagle99 Posts: 3,740 Member
    When you do fast intervals, you really need to do some slow warmup first or you risk getting injured. I ended up with a year-long hamstring injury because I pushed myself hard to keep up with some faster runners at a group speed session. I've also gotten shorter term tendonitis by pushing too fast on the TM. YMMV
  • GiddyupTim
    GiddyupTim Posts: 2,819 Member
    Pondee kind of answered the question the way I would.
    You should mix it up. Long slow runs have their place. Fast hard runs have their place.
    I think you need both to improve most.
    Plus, I find that it is more fun when I do different things, and that helps keep me going.

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