c Raise yourself back into a press-up position and repeat. Targets: s houlders, hamstrings, core, triceps, quads, core.

a To start with, get down into a high plank, keeping your back straight and your head in line with your spine.

Your hands should be directly beneath your shoulders, your arms fully extended and your fingers facing forward, slightly spread apart. Now pump your knees toward your chest one at a time, trying not to rock your torso from side to side. Breathe through it.

Targets: quads, glutes, core. a From standing, step back into a reverse lunge with your left leg. b Push through your right heel to come back to standing, following through with your left leg to raise it in front of you at degrees.

Targets: g lutes, shoulders, triceps, chest, core, hamstrings. c Then, walk your hands back towards your feet. Walkout with push-up. c Perform a push-up, returning to high plank position. d Walk your hands back towards your feet and repeat.

Targets: Quads, hamstrings, glutes, hips, core. b Quickly hop to the left, switching legs and arms. Try to keep up the pace but if you find balancing difficult, slow the movement down until you feel steady. Targets: q uads, glutes, hamstrings, calves. a Stand straight, with your arms bent at 90°, elbows tucked into your sides, palms facing the floor.

b Run on the spot as fast as you can. Each time lift your leg high enough so your hand slaps the top of your thighs. Get those knees up! Targets: t highs, hamstrings, quads, glutes.

a Standing with feet hip-width apart hinge at the knees to come into a squat position — making sure your knees track over your toes and don't extend past. b With the weight in your heels push back up to standing, squeezing your glutes at the top.

Jump squat. Targets: g lutes, quads, hips, hamstrings. a Lower down into a squat position with your feet hip-width apart. b Powerfully explode upwards by pushing through your heels and using your glutes to jump. Try to extend your legs fully at the top of the jump.

c Land in a squat position and repeat. For a longer plan, may we suggest our exclusive to WH four-week HIIT plan , designed by PT Gauri Chopra. You won't need any equipment, just a yoga mat, a water bottle and commitment to the short, effective workouts three times a week.

GO TO 4 WEEK HIIT PLAN. Check out our Women's Health app, available to download on Google Play and from the App Store , for HIIT workout videos you'll love.

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Xn8 Sports Women's Purple Wrist Weights - 2 x 0. Home Workouts. But you can use your home trainer or head to the spin class during the off hours and create your own interval workout.

Combine the bike with some other bodyweight exercises and the workout will fly by. Using a stationary or spinning bike is one of the most popular forms of indoor exercise that provides a low-impact, high-intensity cardiovascular workout and builds both strength and endurance.

Weights are an easy way to add intensity to an exercise. Combine a dumbbell squat with an overhead press to create a full-body workout that challenges your arms and shoulders, core, quads, and glutes.

The pull-up exercise requires some basic equipment, or some creativity go to a playground or find a sturdy low-hanging tree branch, for example , but it's a great, simple way to build upper body strength.

For an easy, equipment-free total body exercise that builds upper body and core strength try standard push-ups. Add walking lunges and you will build endurance, strength, and balance. If it feels awkward holding a weight overhead while doing a walking lunge, begin by holding a broomstick or empty barbell until you get more comfortable with the movement.

Finish up your routine with a minute or two of ab work and call it good. The v-sit is a tough core exercise that engages the rectus abdominis, the external obliques, and internal obliques.

Sung KD, Pekas EJ, Scott SD, Son WM, Park SY. The effects of a week jump rope exercise program on abdominal adiposity, vasoactive substances, inflammation, and vascular function in adolescent girls with prehypertension. Eur J Appl Physiol. Thielen, S. Benefits of Running Stairs. American Council on Exericse.

Bingley S, Witchalls J, McKune A, Humberstone C. Journal of Science and Medicine in Sport. Koral J, Oranchuk DJ, Herrera R, Millet GY. Six Sessions of Sprint Interval Training Improves Running Performance in Trained Athletes.

J Strength Cond Res. Chavarrias M, Carlos-Vivas J, Collado-Mateo D, Pérez-Gómez J. Health Benefits of Indoor Cycling: A Systematic Review. Medicina Kaunas. Yaacob N, Yaacob N, Ismail A, Che Soh N, Ismail M, Mohamed H, et al. Dumbbells and ankle-wrist weight training leads to changes in body composition and anthropometric parameters with potential cardiovascular disease risk reduction.

Journal of Taibah University Medical Sciences. Ronai, P. The Pull-Up. Yang J, Christophi CA, Farioli A, Baur DM, Moffatt S, Zollinger TW, et al. Association Between Push-up Exercise Capacity and Future Cardiovascular Events Among Active Adult Men. JAMA Netw Open.

Stastny P, Tufano JJ, Golas A, Petr M. Strengthening the Gluteus Medius Using Various Bodyweight and Resistance Exercises. Strength Cond J. With aerobic interval workouts, you alternate between moderate- to high-intensity exercise work intervals with a recovery interval.

Aim for a recovery effort that brings your heart rate down to to bpm during the rest interval. You can use any cardio activity, such as running, walking, cycling, elliptical trainer, etc. The workout can be as short as 10 minutes after a warm up of at least 5 minutes or can be as long as 60 minutes for those who are advanced.

Beginners may use shorter work intervals and longer recovery intervals. As fitness improves, the work and recovery intervals can be adjusted so the work intervals are longer as much as 10 minutes and the recovery intervals shorter such as 2 minutes.

Here is a typical AIT workout:. You can do aerobic interval workouts two or more times per week. You can use any cardio activity, such as running or cycling, that can bring your heart rate up to the anaerobic zone.

These workouts are usually shorter because they are so intense, often just 20 minutes after a warm up. The rest interval is usually twice as long as the work interval, such as 30 seconds of sprinting followed by 1 minute of recovery. The warm up should be longer than with less intense intervals, in the range of 10 to 15 minutes.

Due to the intensity, allow 24 to 48 hours of recovery between HIIT workouts. An example of an anaerobic interval workout:.

Interval training can spice up your workouts and lead to better fitness and performance. Add a couple of interval workouts to your weekly schedule and allow time in between to recover. Hoyt T. Skeletal muscle benefits of endurance training: Mitochondrial adaptations.

AMAA J. Kortianou EA, Nasis IG, Spetsioti ST, Daskalakis AM, Vogiatzis I. Effectiveness of interval exercise training in patients with COPD. Cardiopulm Phys Ther J. Maillard F, Pereira B, Boisseau N. Effect of high-intensity interval training on total, abdominal and visceral fat Mmass: A meta-analysis.

Sports Med. By Elizabeth Quinn, MS Elizabeth Quinn is an exercise physiologist, sports medicine writer, and fitness consultant for corporate wellness and rehabilitation clinics. Use limited data to select advertising. Create profiles for personalised advertising. Use profiles to select personalised advertising.

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Even elite athletes won't do more than three interval sessions in a week, and at least one of those will probably be at slightly lower intensity anyway, so make sure you allow for adequate rest and recovery.

During an interval session, you should warm up really thoroughly. You'll then run for a set amount of time or sometimes for a set distance at a high intensity level, before jogging or brisk walking for a set amount of recovery time, repeating this until you've finished the session, followed by a very gentle cool-down walk or jog.

But how to judge your pacing? The most important thing to remember is that there is no one pace that fits all. Your pace depends not only on what level you are currently at with your own fitness, but also the type of session and what you are training for.

For shorter intervals, you may well be running at a higher speed or intensity than longer ones, but those longer ones may be more useful if, say, you are training for a longer race. One of the easiest ways to gauge your pace is by using the rate of perceived exertion RPE scale — where equals very light intensity and equals maximum intensity.

When you're first starting out, for short intervals of 30 seconds to one minute, aim for a RPE of 8 or 9 your recovery intervals should be at a light intensity of around 2 to 3. For longer intervals of around two minutes, aim for a RPE of 6 to 7.

But what does all this feel like? If you're struggling to gauge whether you're pushing hard enough or too hard , do the talk test: try speaking out loud.

If you can only say a word or two, that will be your 8 to 9 intensity pace. If you can say three to four words, that's your 6 to 7 intensity pace.

In the perfect interval session, you will run your final interval at the same pace as the first — staying consistent throughout.

That is much better training than going all out in the first rep, then tailing dramatically off and slowing down in each one. But that can take practice to get right — plenty of experienced runners still do it — so just remember that finishing strong is great for your fitness, and your confidence.

Many top coaches would say that they would far rather their athletes finished a session feeling as if they could run one more rep, than absolutely spent. When it comes to intervals, there are three variables: the length of the intervals, the number of intervals and the duration of the recovery intervals.

This means there's an almost infinite number of variations you can do, and that interval sessions are easily tweakable. Simple 1 min intervals. For those new to interval running, the following is a great and simple first session to try:. Parkrun session.

Pyramid session. If you prefer to run by time not distance, why not try what's called a pyramid session? Between every interval your recovery should be minutes at a very gentle jog or brisk walk. Tailor the session to your own goals — you can leave out the 'top' of the pyramid and peak at 3 or even add more as you progress.

Fartlek run. Interval training is meant to be tough but quick, so you can work harder and smarter not longer. Check out these interval training workout routines for inspiration. Less time in the gym doesn't mean you have to sacrifice fitness if you know this secret: interval training.

Research shows that interval training — workouts in which you alternate periods of high-intensity exercise with low-intensity recovery periods — increases fitness and burns more calories over a short period of time than steady-state cardio you know: just doing the same thing for your whole workout time.

So how do you get the most out of interval training, and how long should each push and recovery be? One of the many great things about interval training workouts is that there's no single hard-and-fast rule. Different lengths of work and recovery bring different benefits — and they're all good. There are even HIIT apps.

These interval training workouts and exercise ideas can help you get started with your own interval training workout routine. Running is a great exercise to build up stamina. You can run outside or pick up a treadmill for your home gym to exercise regardless of the weather.

Once you're ready? Add these interval training workouts or exercises to your gym routine once a week to burn more calories, boost your overall fitness level, and get in and out of the gym faster.

That's a win-win-win. This is one of the best interval training workouts you can do to improve fitness. It gets your heart pumping and burns lots of calories in a short amount of time. How to do it:. Sprinting is great for tightening and toning your legs, glutes, and core.

It increases your muscle power, which helps you push harder and makes your non-interval training workouts feel easier so you can challenge yourself and get even closer to reaching your goals.

This adds sprint interval training for a fast and fun workout. Here, after each burst of hard work, you'll recover for the same amount of time. Figure 8 Lunge. These alternating lunges zone in on your quads and glutes, giving you serious strength and definition.

But first, make sure you know how to do a lunge correctly before jumping into this interval training move. HIIT can be a great tool to diversify your training, but you won't be able to make the most gains that way.

And if you're taking on any more than two or three HIIT workouts a week, you're doing too much. You'll either push yourself into overtraining if you go as hard as you should be for every session, since you won't give yourself enough time to recover properly, or more likely you'll fail to reach the effort threshold the workouts are designed around.

Be smart about how and when you use HIIT. Some Ways to Do HIIT Workouts. Not necessarily. Here are some of the different types of equipment and training styles you can use as part of a HIIT protocol. Now that you know everything to know about HIIT, here are some HIIT workouts that can keep you off the treadmill for the most part and on a far more fun path to major fat-burn.

Luckily, Ben Feiden, CFSC of Performance HQ has just the thing for you. All you need is you and a clock to get this full body burn in. Get ready to get your butt kicked by Jaimar Brown , C. Malik Fitness in this installment of our 5 Minutes of Hell series. Grab one set of medium and one set of light dumbbells and cycle through the following five exercises for 45 seconds of work, and 15 seconds of rest for a quick and dirty full body workout.

Ngo Okafor , the owner and founder of Iconoclast Fitness , and two-time Golden Gloves Championship winner goes through another installment of our 5 Minutes of Hell series designed to push you to your limits in a short amount of time.

Complete these eight exercises for 30 seconds of work, 10 seconds of rest for a heart-racing HIIT workout. Erik Bartell, C. In only 5 short minutes, this workout will have you contemplating surrender.

Work through these 5 exercises for 45 seconds of work, and 15 seconds of rest. This dumbbell workout from All Out Studio 's High Power HIIT program by trainer Gerren Liles will help you to sculpt your chest, arms, and back while ramping up the pace.

You'll be toast after these 15 minutes. Close-Grip Chest Press - 30 seconds. Close-Grip Chest Press with Crunch - 45 seconds. Close-Grip Chest Press with Crunch and Leg Lowers - 75 seconds.

Squat Hold - 45 seconds. Renegade Rows - 30 seconds. Weighted Walkout to Renegade Row - 45 seconds. Weighted Walkout to Renegade Row to Knee Raise and Twist - 75 seconds. Dumbbell Over-the-Shoulder Chops - 30 seconds. Squat and Over-the-Shoulder Chops - 45 seconds. Squat Thrust and Over-the-Shoulder Chops - 75 seconds.

Cooldown Stretch - 45 seconds. Nellie Barnett, CPT , packed everything you need in this quick minute workout you can do right from your living room. Block A:.

Block B:. Block C:. With only second working periods, this workout from David Pegram, C. Add it to the end of a leg day to get your cardio in while finishing off the lower body. Designed by MH fitness director Ebenezer Samuel, C.

These minute workouts are designed to keep you moving even when your schedule is at its busiest, from just a handful of exercises that you can do anywhere. AMRAP 1. Complete as many rounds as possible of the following circuit.

Rest as needed between reps and sets. Complete all of the moves in order as fast as you can in each minute, then rest til the start of the next minute.

The following examples of interval training exercises illustrate how easily interval training routines can be adapted to suit most sports or activities. By manipulating the intensity and duration of the work intervals and the length of the rest periods, specific training responses can be achieved.

Interval training can be applied to all levels of fitness training — for beginners, intermediate exercisers and well-conditioned athletes. Interval training enables greater exposure to more intensive training without the excess fatigue.

This leads to many benefits:. Interval training is a fantastic form of exercise, however, the most common problem associated with interval training is that people tend to get over excited , because of the intense nature of the exercises, and push themselves harder than they normally would.

This tends to result in sore muscles and joints, overtraining , and an increased likelihood of injury. Below are a few precautions you need to take into consideration. While the recommendations on this page are a good place to start, you'll get a lot more benefit when you add the right stretches to your training program.

You'll get clear photographs and 44 video demonstrations of unique stretches for every major muscle group in your body. Plus, you'll also learn the 7 critical rules for safe stretching; the benefits of flexibility; and how to stretch properly.

The information in this article, along with the examples below, and a little bit of imagination, will help you put together the perfect interval training workout.

Make sure you warm-up before attempting any of the workouts below and take extra care to follow the precautions and safety guidelines in the section above. About the Author : Brad Walker is often referred to as the "Stretch Coach" and has even been called the Stretching Guru.

Amazon author page has listed his books on five Best-Seller lists. Google cites over , references to him and his work on the internet. And satisfied customers from countries have sent 1,'s of verified customer reviews. If you want to know about stretching, flexibility or sports injury management, Brad Walker is the go-to-guy.

Disclaimer : The health and fitness information presented on this website is intended as an educational resource and is not intended as a substitute for proper medical advice. Please consult your physician or physical therapist before performing any of the exercises described on this website, particularly if you are pregnant, elderly or have any chronic or recurring muscle or joint pain.

Facebook Twitter Instagram LinkedIn YouTube. What is Interval Training and Interval Training Examples. Discover how to use interval training to get super fit and strong. by Brad Walker First Published July 22, Updated February 14, What is Interval Training?

How Does Interval Training Work? The anaerobic system metabolises energy stored in the muscles glycogen for the short bursts of activity without needing oxygen. Lactic acid builds up as the by-product and the athlete experiences oxygen debt. The body is then allowed to recover with the heart and lungs working together to give back this oxygen and to break down the lactic acid.

The aerobic system takes over using oxygen to convert stored carbohydrates into energy. The Fitness Interval Training This technique is recommended for beginners and intermediate exercisers.

The Performance Interval Training This technique is more advanced and is recommended for well-conditioned athletes. Common Types of Interval Training Exercises The following examples of interval training exercises illustrate how easily interval training routines can be adapted to suit most sports or activities.

Jumping Rope is an inexpensive and fast way to build overall fitness. Besides improving cardiovascular fitness, they can improve muscular strength, endurance, balance, agility and burn calories. Sprint and Speed Training Drills benefit any sport by offering a combination of speed and endurance.

Start only after 3 months of consistent athletic activity and after you have reached a fitness training level that allows you to run for minutes at a time.

Explosive Exercise Training Routines are another way to increase power and strength. Used by elite athletes in sports that require fast bursts of maximum effort in a short amount of time, such as sprinting and jumping.

Agility Drills improve coordination, speed, power and sports skills for athletes. These drills also help perfect foot speed and refine sports technique. Shuttle Runs are standard agility and speed drills for athletes playing stop-and-start sports such as basketball, soccer, hockey and tennis.

Stair Running is an advanced program that helps build speed, power and cardiovascular fitness. A great addition to any agility training program for its quickness, foot speed and excellent sprint workout. Plyometric Jumping Exercises are used by many athletes and trainers to develop athletic power strength and speed , coordination and agility for increased sports performance.

Used to develop proficiency in vertical, high, box and long jumps. What Makes This Type of Training So Effective? This leads to many benefits: New capillaries are built taking oxygen to the muscles to strengthen them, including the heart muscle.

The combination of an improved cardiovascular system with muscles that can tolerate lactic acid build-up significantly improves athletic performance and well-being. Injuries associated with long-term, repetitive exercises are significantly reduced due to lack of overtraining or burn-out.

Overall aerobic power and fitness levels are improved. Helpful when trying a new form of exercise or activity. Allows you to gradually build up to the continuous activity in a much more enjoyable and effective manner, without tiring too quickly.

Interval Training Precautions and Safety Guidelines Interval training is a fantastic form of exercise, however, the most common problem associated with interval training is that people tend to get over excited , because of the intense nature of the exercises, and push themselves harder than they normally would.

Set a realistic training goal that is within your current fitness level. Use a safe warm-up routine before starting your intervals. Start slowly and work toward longer intervals to provide better results. Maintain a steady but challenging pace throughout the interval. Increase the repetitions over time.

Reduce your heart rate to bpm during the rest interval. To step up your fitness levels, increase the intensity or duration, but not both at once. Extend any increases slowly over a period of time.

Train on smooth, flat surfaces. The added intensity of interval training requires that your muscles and joints be flexible and supple. Want to Improve Your Flexibility? Do away with stiff, tight muscles and joints; Improve your freedom of movement; Get rid of injuries, aches and pains; Improve your sporting performance; and Take your flexibility to the next level.

Click here to improve your flexibility! Sprint Program: Perform this program two to three times a week with plenty of rest between workouts. Once you're ready? Add these interval training workouts or exercises to your gym routine once a week to burn more calories, boost your overall fitness level, and get in and out of the gym faster.

That's a win-win-win. This is one of the best interval training workouts you can do to improve fitness. It gets your heart pumping and burns lots of calories in a short amount of time.

How to do it:. Sprinting is great for tightening and toning your legs, glutes, and core. It increases your muscle power, which helps you push harder and makes your non-interval training workouts feel easier so you can challenge yourself and get even closer to reaching your goals.

This adds sprint interval training for a fast and fun workout. Here, after each burst of hard work, you'll recover for the same amount of time. Figure 8 Lunge. These alternating lunges zone in on your quads and glutes, giving you serious strength and definition. But first, make sure you know how to do a lunge correctly before jumping into this interval training move.

Trade in trekking along on the treadmill for some soccer drill-inspired cardio that has cardiovascular and circulation benefits, to boot. This interval workout move mixes cardio and muscle-shaping strength work in one.

Squeeze your glutes to add resistance to each squat, helping you burn calories with controlled movements. Burpee Box Jump. Combine these two CrossFit cult favorites for killer core and glute work. BTW, here's how to do a burpee the right way.

Single-Leg Mountain Climbers. By isolating each leg in these interval training sets, you'll combine strength training, cardio, and core work. X-Jump to X-Plank. Alternate between high and low jumping jacks to fire up your muscles and metabolism in under a minute flat.

Make sure to engage your abs as you drop down to your plank for a little bonus burn. Plié Squat Jump. Use power from your thighs to launch up and land softly in a plié squat to hit your lower-body hard.

And consider some " squat therapy " to get your form down. This interval training exercise revs your metabolism, sculpts your shoulders, and works the biceps — with your own body weight. Double Snap Kick. By pulling your abs in tight, you'll work your core, outer thighs, and glutes all at once during this interval training move.

Do three sets of one minute each, aiming to beat your last set every single time. Don't have a jump rope? Use a rolled-up towel or no equipment at all, jump back and forth from a fixed point to get the same results. Use limited data to select advertising.

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