Christine asked: I was reading your blog about intensive training and wanted to ask if short bursts of jogging on the treadmill are therefore better than fast walking for longer periods for improving fitness.  Is 1 or 2 minutes of jogging and then walking for a couple of minutes better than fast walking for say 10 minutes? I like the idea of getting fitter in a shorter time!

Answer…

The traditional cardio workout lasts 30 to 60 minutes, working at a steady pace and heart rate.  Although this “steady-state” training has health, endurance and fitness benefits, research suggests that greater fitness gains can be achieved in far shorter, more intense workouts. 

High intensity interval training (HIIT) is a type of exercise that is intended to improve fitness and burn fat with workouts lasting a fraction of the time.  In fact, one of the most popular HIIT methods is a 4 minute workout called Tabata Training.  Intervals are 20 seconds maximum effort, 10 seconds rest for a total of 8 cycles.  It’s about as high intensity as workout gets, crammed into just enough time to boil an egg. 

Studies have also shown that HIIT not only brings greater fitness gains than traditional “long slow burn” workouts, but also has a greater fat burning effect.   The intensity of the workout causes the body to burn calories at a much higher rate for up to 24 hours.  With such impressive results it is no surprise that fitness enthusiasts worldwide are raving about HIIT …

…greater fitness gains, increased fat burning, in less time!

However, there is a pretty big catch.  HIIT is much, much harder and only works if your intervals are maximum effort.  On an intensity scale of 1 to 10, if 1 is standing still and 5 is a gentle jog, 10 is running like you would from a lion.  So to put it in perspective, a 10 minute HIIT workout might get you fitter in a shorter period of time, but it would be like running from a lion… and then all his buddies!

For someone just getting into cardio training, longer periods of fast walking are probably more suitable to help build up a base level of fitness.  If you are pushed for time and only have 10 minutes to commit to your cardio training then keep building the intensity up within that timescale.  The higher the intensity you achieve within that 10 minutes the fitter you will get.

But remember… the best workout is the workout that gets done!  Try to find an intensity level that is high enough to challenge you, but not so high that you can’t stick at it.

 

Liam Sartorius is a REPS level 3 personal trainer specialising in resistance training and weight loss.  With over 10,000 hours 1:1 personal training, he has a wealth of experience in body shape and body weight change.

Ask Liam about: Fitness Training, Circuit Training, Muscle Building, Muscle Definition, Exercise for Weight Loss, Nutrition for Weight Loss.

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Tags: fitness, running, walking