They say that slow and steady wins the race. Bullshit! I say the cardiovascular key to fat burning and building a muscular and well defined body is using interval training workouts on separate days from your weight training. ( I combine these intervals on my boxing training days ). These interval workouts alternate high-intensity levels with lower-intensity effort equaling monstrous amounts of calories and fat being burned, sparing you your most valuable asset. Your MUSCLE!. As I mentioned many times to all AbFitt Readers. this formula keeps your body burning calories long after you've stopped working out and that's what we are looking for right? This is why you train so dam hard!
Understand that interval training mimics sports - start-and-stop motions with periods of sprinting or close-to-sprinting speeds followed by light jogging or rest. You can use interval training workouts any way you want - running, cycling, boxing, swimming, on elliptical trainers & treadmills. I prefer to do my intervals with the speed rope, heavy bag & an assortment of boxing drills.
You can also vary the intensity levels in different combinations. To start, here are three options for every experience level, (If you use exercise machines, don't choose the interval workout; choose the manual one, and create your own intensities by adjusting it yourself. It'll give you greater control over the speeds and will help you burn fat faster.) You'll derive benefits in as little as a 20-minute interval workout. As you build up endurance and strength, you can add time to your workout, however no cardio workout should go over 45 Min. You only lose muscle when you do this. The loss of lean muscle tissue only makes you a victim of skinny fat! Yuk!!
Interval Variation A: Standard
The following is a typical interval workout. You alternate the same period of low intensity with the same period of higher intensity.
1. 3 - 5 minutes warm up (light jog, low intensity, gradually increasing at the end of the warm up period)
2. 1 minute moderate or high intensity followed by 1 minute low intensity (repeat 6 - 8 times)
3. 3 - 5 minutes cool down (light jog, low intensity, gradually decreasing by the end of the cool down period)
Interval Variation B: Pyramid
This pyramid structure allows you to start with short bursts of speed, and then you'll peak at the longest surge of energy in the middle of your workout before coming back down.
1. 3 - 5 minutes warm up
2. 30 seconds high intensity, 1 minute low intensity
3. 45 seconds high intensity, 1 minute low intensity
4. 60 seconds high intensity, 1 minute low intensity
5. 90 seconds high intensity, 1 minute low intensity
6. 60 seconds high intensity, 1 minute low intensity
7. 45 seconds high intensity, 1 minute low intensity
8. 30 seconds high intensity
9. 3 - 5 minutes cool down
Interval Variation C: Sports Conditioning & Fat shredding
Sports are unpredictable. This interval simulates some of that unpredictability by having you doing different times and different intensities. You can mix and match the orders and repetitions as much as you want. Rest longer after the periods in which you use the most energy.
1. 3 - 5 minutes warm up
2. 2 minutes moderate or high intensity followed by 2 minutes low intensity (repeat once
3. 30 seconds high intensity followed by 30 seconds low intensity (repeat four times)
4. 60-yard or one minute all out sprints (or 10 seconds if not running) followed by 90 seconds rest (repeat 6 - 10 times)
5. 3 - 5 minutes cool down
More workouts like this at http://AbFitt.blogspot.com