I’ve recently been doing a lot more interval running training in my own workouts to prepare for my triathlon in the summer and have seen massive improvements in my speed and endurance so thought this should be something I write about this week.
Interval training is all about mixing up short high bursts of speed with slower recovery phases which means that it works both your anaerobic and aerobic systems. For those of you who are unfamiliar with these systems, here’s a quick biology lesson: During the high intensity parts of the run the anaerobic system is used and uses the energy stored in our muscles, in the form of glycogen, as fuel. The anaerobic system does not require oxygen but as a result lactic acid is produced and builds up in the body. During the recovery phases of your run the aerobic system kicks in and utilises oxygen to pay back the ‘oxygen debt’ and break down the lactic acid. The aerobic system is able to convert stored carbohydrates into energy.
So what are the benefits of interval training?
Firstly by doing high intensity training that produces lactic acid, it is thought that the body gets used to having to deal with the lactic acid build up and is able to break it down more effectively. As a result you can gradually exercise at higher intensities for longer periods of time before the pain and fatigue slows you down or stops you. If you’re training for an event, especially one like a triathlon or fast paced run this will give you a huge advantage over other people who have not done interval type training and instead have stuck to long slow duration runs.
Interval training also increases cardiovascular efficiency so that your body is more effective at delivering oxygen to the working muscles. Consequently this improves your speed and endurance. It has been shown that interval training burns more calories than long slow duration exercise. It requires short bursts of energy and does not increase your cortisol levels and so you’re less likely to get fat.
Interval training can be done at all levels, even if you’re a complete beginner. If you’re not a confident runner, start by doing walking intervals. Try walking at a slow pace for 1 minute and then follow that by walking briskly for another minute. Repeat this for about 15 minutes if you can- you should be trying to build up to doing this continuously for 20-30 minutes. Alternatively if you want to run start by running at a pace that you would rate about a 6 out of 10 in terms of effort. Keep at this speed for 1 minute and then up it to a pace of about an 8 out of 10 in terms of effort. Repeat this for as long as you can, again trying to build up to doing this continuously for 20-30 minutes. Once you’ve become good at doing this change the interval ratio so that you spend perhaps 1 minute at the high intensity speed with only 30 seconds in the recovery phase.
Interval training doesn’t have to be done just with running. You can do it with cycling, swimming or plyometrics. Whatever you’re doing though make sure that you do a warm up (gentle jog, walk or some dynamic stretches) beforehand to avoid injuries and get your body prepared for what’s to come. You’ll be surprised at just how fast you start to improve with interval training. I think it also makes cardio work a bit more fun – I’m definitely not a person who can spend half an hour running on a treadmill at the same speed, it’s just too boring! With interval training, I find the time passes faster as you are constantly varying the speed and intensity and you feel like you’ve done a brilliant workout at the end.
