If you haven't been running for very long, or if you use a combination of walking and running to get around - should you try Interval Training?
I guess the best place to start would be......what is Interval Training? (that might help eh if you are unfamiliar with the term)
What is Interval Training?
www.nuffieldhealth.com enlightens us:- Interval training consists of a series of repeated rounds of exercise, ranging from several minutes to just a few seconds. During each interval, you work at a set intensity for a specific period of time or distance (work interval) and follow this with a low-intensity recovery period (recovery interval).
Sounds fine and dandy - but is it something you should be doing?
Why do Interval Training?
It doesn't matter if you are an experienced runner or someone who is relatively new to running, intervals (which is what we are calling them from herein) can help give your overall fitness a boost, they can help improve your speed and endurance and.....they burn more calories than slow running alone so can help if you are trying to lose a bit of weight - now I have your attention ladies!!!
Tip #1 - Start Slow
Let's say you are running three times a week, initially introduce intervals to one of those sessions, building up to two sessions a week. As you increase the number of times you run a week so you can increase the number of interval sessions you do, but don't do more than three sessions.
Tip #2 - Warm Up
You will be covering the ground quite a bit faster than you usually do, which holds the potential for injury. Ensure you begin your session with a jog of at least 5 minutes, this will warm your muscles up ready for the effort ahead.
Tip #3 - What Pace?
RPE or Rate of Perceived Exertion (Borg Rating) describes feelings about how hard you feel you are working out. This will obviously be different for everyone.
Your warm-up jog should be around a 3
when you first start, your intervals would be around a 6 or 7
back down to a 3 between intervals.
As you progress you can push yourself a little harder.
Tip #4 - What Do I Do?
Easy, beginners' session:
5 mins warm-up jog
Run for 30 seconds at a 6 or 7
Do 30 seconds at 3
Repeat 2 & 3 three times
10 mins cool down jog
As you can see, to begin with, it is a very short session. If you are regularly running for longer than 20 minutes, you could pop your intervals anywhere within your run, as long as you have done your warm-up. If you don't have a stopwatch then run between lampposts, one fast, one slow or use something as a focus point, run to it and jog back - just make sure it's a reasonable way away.
Tip #5 - How Do I Progress?
Once you feel comfortable doing the above session a couple of times a week, after about four weeks try repeating the beginners' cycle, up to No 4, twice - with one-minute rest in between. As your fitness improves you can add another cycle, and then start to run further or faster for each effort.
Bottom Line
Intervals are a great way of improving your fitness, whatever level of runner you are. As with every new activity, take care, build up slowly and if it hurts STOP.
Bear in mind that if you do what you've always done, you will get what you have always got.
It may be comfortable pootling around at a slow steady speed - and there is nothing wrong with that if that is what keeps you fit - but if you want to improve your running you have to put the effort in....it will be worth it.
- you're welcome xx
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