Interval Exercise

[Ronstar]

Should be "ran 3 miles and walked 1 mile", right?

Wow. You are right. And REWahoo is right. Numbers is hard. That 4 mile route actually had a .3 mile walk at the beginning and end, so really I ran closer to 2.4 miles.

 

[garyt]

The latest in health maintenance is "Surge" or "Interval" Exercise.

Studies purport to show that this is healthier and more effective than what used to be longer term, steady exercise.

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-6706943/Short-bursts-high-intensity-exercise-aid-weight-loss.html

I am reminded of a similar training"breakthrough" in Swim training, back in the 1950's. At that time the accepted "best" way of building speed and strength, was to spend more time in long distance swimming. Until... the Ohio State Swim Team changed to "REPEATS" of near maximum speed timed racing event distances. So, if you were swimming the 200 yard Freestyle race, instead of swimming miles... you would swim at almost racing speed, for the 200 yds... then take a one or two minute break, and repeat three or four times.

While the rest of the country pooh-poohed the idea, my coach at Bowdoin Picked it up, and it became the standard for our team... gradually extending to most other teams over a two year period.

Now... it seems, there is a resurgence of this kind of exercise for the average health enthusiast. Wonder what happened in the meantime?

Nothing new here, been doing that for ten years at least.No long boring slow workouts for me. My resting heart rate is in the 50's so it seems to be working.

 

[bmcgonig]

Wow. You are right. And REWahoo is right. Numbers is hard. That 4 mile route actually had a .3 mile walk at the beginning and end, so really I ran closer to 2.4 miles.

Still... Sprinting 2.4 miles even with breaks seems really difficult. Well done.

I tried HIIT by running and injured glute muscles.
Then tried it on elliptical and besides looking like an idiot on crack, it kept annoying my hip bursitis. With a two day delay, so it took me a while to relate the two.

Now I'm doing it in the stationary bike and seems like no injuries so far.

 

[ExFlyBoy5]

Wow. You are right. And REWahoo is right. Numbers is hard. That 4 mile route actually had a .3 mile walk at the beginning and end, so really I ran closer to 2.4 miles.

Gotcha.

I know that doing a 20 minute routine (60 second run as hard as I could and then fast walk for 3 minutes; repeat 5 times) four times a week, I was able to lose 22 pounds and decrease my 1.5 mile run time by almost 4 minutes all in the period of about 2 months.

 

[LOL!]

I was doing HIIT running last fall. Run / walk 4 miles. Run (near sprint) until heart rate reached 145-150. Then walk until heart rate reached 125-130. Then repeat for 4 miles. Joints couldn’t take for more than a few months. Great cardio workout. I’d like to find something with similar cardio without joint damage. Rowing mentioned above seems like it would fit the bill.

There are 16 steps up to get upstairs. A pair of 20-lb-each dumbbells sits at the bottom of the stairs. Pick them up and walk up and down the stairs holding the weights. You can go as slow as you want. You can go as fast as you want. The down part is not quite resting, but is easier than the up part.

The rise of a step is not large, so one doesn't need to bend the knee so much going up and down. The carpet means no joint pain.

One's heart rate after 5 up/down "sets" would certainly be above 120.

One can start with lighter weight dumbbells and work up to heavier ones.

And you don't have to leave the house at all. One can do this while waiting for water to boil, making coffee, and/or steeping a tea bag.

Also I agree that interval training is not new. I was bicycle racer decades ago and all training books described interval training.

 

[Ronstar]

Still... Sprinting 2.4 miles even with breaks seems really difficult. Well done.

I tried HIIT by running and injured glute muscles.
Then tried it on elliptical and besides looking like an idiot on crack, it kept annoying my hip bursitis. With a two day delay, so it took me a while to relate the two.

Now I'm doing it in the stationary bike and seems like no injuries so far.

Thanks, but sprinting at my pace is jogging for most. I “sprint” somewhere between 6:30 - 7:00 per mile pace.

Good that the stationary bike HIIT is working for you. A lot less impact on a bike compared to running, especially running on pavement.

I’ve seen a YouTube video of guy doing HIIT running sprints. Maybe 100 yards, walk back, then run 100 yards, repeat. But he was doing it across a grassy field. A lot better on the joints

 

[Ronstar]

Gotcha.

I know that doing a 20 minute routine (60 second run as hard as I could and then fast walk for 3 minutes; repeat 5 times) four times a week, I was able to lose 22 pounds and decrease my 1.5 mile run time by almost 4 minutes all in the period of about 2 months.

I think I’ll try your routine. Hopefully I’ll get similar results.

 

[ExFlyBoy5]

I think I’ll try your routine. Hopefully I’ll get similar results.

Well, to be fair...I also calorie restricted (2000 c/day) so that played a part, too.

 

[LOL!]

You are on your way to improving your blood pressure and resting heart rate:

 

[TromboneAl]

I had a mini revelation about that groin pull.

I'd injured that muscle after a bad bike crash (note that injuries happen in long slow exercise also) in 2011 (inner thigh hit the cross bar).

So, I wonder whether blunt force injuries can increase the chance of muscle strains in the future.

 

[samclem]

I greatly benefited from this book:
The One-Minute Workout: Science Shows a Way to Get Fit That's Smarter, Faster, Shorter

I ordered the book in response to braumeister's suggestion, I finished it today. I think it is just what I was looking for. Some points:
- There's quite a bit of information here on how the "training response" to exercise improves cardiovascular health and fitness. ATP, AMP, AMPK, PGC-1[FONT=Liberation Serif, serif]α[/FONT], etc. Also, every workout routine listed is accompanied with a short bit on the research that helped demonstrate its effectiveness. The author (Martin Gibala) is an exercise physiologist and researcher, so this approach is to be expected.
- "One Minute:" Well, there's a bit of "poetic license" and marketing there. The book does give micro-workouts (backed by research) that are to be done three times per week and only have one minute of strenuous exertion each. With warmup, cooldown, and inter-sprint rest intervals, they come to about 10 minutes total.

- Sample workouts: He gives 8 "regular" sample interval workout schedules of 25-30 minutes each suited to those of various fitness levels and preferences. In addition, he provides the 4 "micro-workouts" mentioned above.

I liked the book a lot. Some readers might be put off by the technical discussions, the advocacy for HIIT vs conventional LSD training, or the cited research. I enjoyed it. I'm not likely to stick with some exercise program clipped from a magazine with nothing backing it up other than "Bill's Favorite Workout!" It's a bit like folks who come to ER.org for investment advice--they can get some good guidance here, but if they don't read a few good books and understand the foundation and reasoning for the recommendations, they are likely to be convinced to do something else by the next Money Magazine/CNBC thing they see.

I am reminded of a similar training"breakthrough" in Swim training, back in the 1950's. At that time the accepted "best" way of building speed and strength, was to spend more time in long distance swimming. Until... the Ohio State Swim Team changed to "REPEATS" of near maximum speed timed racing event distances. . .
While the rest of the country pooh-poohed the idea, my coach at Bowdoin Picked it up, and it became the standard for our team... gradually extending to most other teams over a two year period.

The book notes important work by Ed Fox and Donald Mathews at Ohio State that did a lot to make interval training popular among college teams as early as the mid-60s.

Why have a book that is longer than the workout
Seriously... it probably can be written on one page... or it would take longer than a minute...

"Do this" instructions certainly could be written in one page--like guidance on investing. But if a person cares about the "why," or wants some ideas that may allow them to optimize things for their own situation and preferences, then it may take more than one page. . . like guidance on investing.

Now, to get off my duff and exercise.

 

[TromboneAl]

So, some research shows that doing a few intervals can be as good or better than long, steady exercise.

Wouldn't it be great if it turned out that doing only one 30-second sprint had a significant benefit?

 

[samclem]

So, some research shows that doing a few intervals can be as good or better than long, steady exercise.

Wouldn't it be great if it turned out that doing only one 30-second sprint had a significant benefit?

Gibala's most minimalist workout was darn close: Three 20 second sprints with light exercise in between for a minute or two. Total time spent from start to finish: 10 minutes. Do this three times per week. Results equivalent to 135 minutes per week of moderate aerobic exercise. After 6 weeks: BP reduced by 6-8 percent, cardiorespiratory fitness improved by 12%. 3 minutes of >hard< exercise per week vs 135 minutes of moderate exercise per week.