How To Use Interval Training To Lose Weight

Whether you’ve resolved to lose some weight or get into the best shape of your life, interval training can put you on the right path. These workouts, which alternate high-intensity activities with low-intensity ones, have long been shown to deliver impressive results. Interval training also helps maximize the effectiveness of time at the gym, so it's always possible to fit a good workout into a busy day. Here’s a look at what interval training is and how it helps you get into your best shape. We’ll also explore some of the best workout tactics and interval methods to help you meet your goals.

What Is Interval Training?

So exactly what is interval training? When a trainer recommends interval training to whip their client into shape, they're talking about workouts that alternate high-intensity exercises with low-intensity exercises or recovery periods. Incorporating interval training into a workout routine can actually help individuals spend less time in the gym and still maximize weight loss. Compared to fixed-intensity cardio sessions, interval-training sessions burn more calories over short periods, so individuals don’t have to spend two hours walking or biking every day to get the results they're looking for. Another great thing about interval training is different variations bring different benefits, so it's possible to tailor workouts to meet individual goals.

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How Interval Training Works

If you’re wondering how interval training works, it’s actually pretty simple. By going hard for a stretch, easing up, and repeating the process, you give your muscles time to recover from the stress of working out. The low-intensity stretches also help reduce lactic acid buildup in the muscles, which can actually reduce muscle pain. Studies have shown, no matter how fit someone is before they begin interval training, this form of exercise increases both the body’s use of fat stores and overall fitness levels. Interval training even boosts enzyme activity in the muscles. Alternating bursts of high-intensity exercise with low-intensity movements has also been shown to increase metabolism, which, when it's balanced with a healthy diet, interval training can help individuals keep extra weight off permanently.

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