Retain Your Youth!
Now there’s some evidence that interval training can actually slow down aging. Scientists know that regular aerobic exercise can decrease biological age by 10 years. The reason is that exercise improves mitochondrial function – if you’ve forgotten your biology lessons, mitochondria live in your cells and are responsible for producing energy. Improved mitochondria means that your cells function at a
higher level for a longer period of time.
The harder you exercise, the better your cells work, but working at a high enough intensity (or going all out) to improve cells and slow the aging process for every workout isn’t feasible (or recommended) for most of us. That’s where interval training comes in, allowing you to work at high levels of intensity for long enough that you get the benefits, but short enough that you don’t hurt yourself or start hating exercise.
There are a number of ways to set up interval workouts. You can add short bursts of high intensity exercise to your regular workouts like speedwalking, sprints, hills, higher resistance or incline, plyometric exercises or anything that speeds up your heart rate. You then slow down and recover completely before going into another interval. You’ll find a sample workout below.
Interval Training for Beginners – Level 1
The following workout is a beginner interval workout lasting 21 minutes. Interval workouts involve alternating higher intensity exercise with low intensity recovery periods. Interval workouts involve alternating higher intensity exercise with low intensity recovery periods. By adding higher intensity intervals, you can build endurance and burn more calories. The workout is shown using a treadmill with changes in speed and incline, but you can use any machine of your choice or take the workout outside.
• For each ‘work set’, use the settings on your machine (incline, speed, resistance, ramps, etc.) to increase intensity. You should be working out of your comfort zone, but not so hard that you feel dizzy or lightheaded.
• For each ‘rest set’, lower those same settings until you’re back to a moderate pace. You should be completely recovered before the next work set.
• Modify according to your fitness level.
• The RPE levels listed (Rate of Perceived Exertion) help you keep track of your intensity on a scale of 1 – 10. During rest sets, stay around 4-5 RPE. During work sets, stay around 5- 6 RPE. There isn’t a huge difference between the work and rest sets, you simply want to work a little harder during the work sets.
• See your doctor if you have any injuries or conditions. You can also use a Target Heart Rate Calculator to monitor your exercise intensity. Ready, Set, Exercise!
• Warm up 5 Minutes: RPE 3-4: Warm Up at an easy pace
• Rest Set 3 Minutes: RPE 5: Increase speed from warm up and increase incline 1%. Keep a moderate pace
• Work Set 1 Minute: RPE 6 – Increase incline 1-3% to raise the intensity level. You should be working harder!
• Rest Set 3 Minutes: RPE 5 – Decrease speed and incline to lower your heart rate back to a comfortable level
• Work Set 1 Minute: RPE 6 – Increase speed 3-5 increments and increase incline 1-2% to raise intensity
• Rest Set 3 Minutes: RPE 5 – Decrease speed and incline to lower your heart rate back to a comfortable level
• Cool down 5 Minutes: RPE 3-5 – Decrease speed/incline to lower your heart rate back to a comfortable level and cool down
Please remember to always consult your doctor when making changes to your exercise program.
Article obtained from about.com