My Fitness Coach Blog

According to the American Council on Exercise, interval training “involves alternating short bursts of intense activity with what is called active recovery, which is typically a less-intense form of the original activity. It can help you avoid injuries that often accompany non-stop, repetitive activity, and provides the opportunity to increase your intensity without burning yourself out in a matter of minutes.”

While typical cardio takes 30-45 minutes, you can complete an interval training session in 20-25 minutes. This is because you are working much harder, which also means that you are burning more calories in a shorter amount of time. Interval training also helps overcome weight loss plateaus and increases cardiovascular fitness more quickly. Try to include an interval training session 1-2 times per week, and you will see noticeable results.

What is an example of interval training? Consider this program for the stationary bike:

3 minutes: warm up with resistance at about 5-8 and RPM around 60-70.
15 minutes: for the 1st 15 seconds of each minute, increase the resistance to 12 and keep RPM in 70-85 range. For the last 45 seconds of each minute, recover at warm up intensity.
5 minutes: cool down at low intensity.

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I’ve written about how important it is to have goals, so I’m going to tell you about one of mine!

I just started dieting and training for a figure competition that will be held in October in Baltimore. Figure is a category within a bodybuilding contest (in this case, it’s all natural–drug testing is mandatory) and the look is feminine but athletic. The goal is not only to reduce body fat while maintaining muscle; women are also judged on muscle symmetry and development, and presentation. For some photos of previous competitors, see the Organization of Competitive Bodybuilders website. Click on results and then choose a show.

Anyway, I’ve just completed Week One, with 9 weeks to go. The diet is intense and I am very closely weighing and counting every carbohydrate, protein and fat that I eat. I am also working out religiously, though at this point, it is not that much more than I used to do. There have been times this week when I was low on energy, hungry or tempted to eat more. But because this goal is so important to me (and because I have a trainer to whom I must answer), I am motivated to keep on track.

While my calories are low, my nutrition is the healthiest it’s been in a while (all lean proteins, whole grains, fruits, vegetables and healthy fats, but no added sugars, processed or snack foods or alcohol). And I have to admit, I now have more energy than I have in a long time.

I will keep you posted!

Danielle