It is easy to get scared of losing weight and toning our bodies. It’s not the end result we fear, but the treacherous means of getting there. We’re willing to commit to a new workout plan and dietary restrictions, but not if it means endless hours at the gym before and after work, while cutting all of our portions in half. The key to keeping a normal lifestyle while trying to lose weight is to do interval cardio training. It focuses on quality instead of quantity, making each and every one of your workouts efficient in training your heart and burning calories.
Interval cardio training is an exercise technique that involves combining high and low intensity workouts. Low 
intensity includes walking or jogging lightly. While they’re easy on the mind and body, they hardly allow you to burn enough calories to make a difference in the amount of weight you lose. High intensity workouts are just the opposite; short and extreme, giving your body the opportunity to lose a large amount of calories in a short amount of time. While high intensity workouts seem to make the most sense, they aren’t practical for us all to use. Interval training combines the benefits of both intensities into a workout that’s suitable for any prospective athlete looking to get a healthier looking body.
To start your interval training you need to know your maximum heart rate and own a heart rate monitor. You can calculate your MHR using your age and sex. For men, your MHR is 202 – (.55 x age) and for women, it’s 216 – (1.09 x age). Once you know your MHR and have a monitor, you can choose your cardio exercise and begin. The training will work by dividing your workout into intervals of time, in which you switch back and forth between low and high intensity. Use the monitor to keep track of the changes in your heart rate, which will alert you to switch intensities.
When you start your workout, begin with a warm up. After 1-2 minutes, push your body really hard, pumping up your heart rate to hit roughly 75% of your MHR. Once you achieved that rate, maintain it for 1 minute. In the minutes following, lower your intensity by bringing your heart rate down to about 20 beats less than where it was at 75%. Again, maintain this intensity for about 1 minute and then get back into your high intensity routine. Repeat your cardio intervals back and forth for about 20 minutes a day, 3 days a week. Alongside healthy eating, you should see positive results within 2 weeks.
Be sure to keep track of your weight loss throughout the weeks of training and if you are not as successful as you would like to be, extend the time of your intervals by just a small amount. Your new interval cardio training will not only help you to develop a new respect for exercising, but it will increase your metabolism, help you lose unwanted weight, and keep your heart in great condition.
No related posts.
{ 0 comments }
You must log in to post a comment.