Question on interval training

L Sass

Cathlete
I know for the IMAX's, Cathe recommends one or two times a week, and no more. I guess I always thought that was due to the high impact nature of those workouts. Is there a reason NOT to do interval training whenever you do cardio, like using iTrain or cardio coach for running or ellipticizing? What if you do cardio 6x week? Can you interval train that much? TIA

Lorrie
 
I think doing interval training (I'm talking pretty high intensity) that much is WAY too hard on your body, in addition to the fact that doing the same of anything 6 days in a row week after week loses effectiveness by your body adjusting & ultimately plateauting (if you are not sidelined by an injury at this point). I am not poo pooing hard core interval training - I think it rocks & you can make amazing cardiovascular strides - but you do need to mix it up w/ steady state, circuits, etc to keep your body an efficient, plauteau busting, fitness machine (preferably one that still has all its joints in tact).


Live with sincerity, love with passion, and dance like you mean it.

Debbie
 
I think that interval training is hard on the heart and you need to give the heart time to recover between hard workouts - just like you need to give your other muscles time to recover and you don't work them on consecutive days.

Erica
 
Makes sense. So if you're a runner and run everyday (acknowledging that you have to mix things up to see results) would you do a few days at a steady state pace and 1 or 2 of intervals?

Lorrie
 
That's how I train. Lately, I've been wimping out on the interval runs, though - they really wipe me out. :p

Erica
 
>Makes sense. So if you're a runner and run everyday
>(acknowledging that you have to mix things up to see results)
>would you do a few days at a steady state pace and 1 or 2 of
>intervals?
>
>Lorrie

Yes...that is exactly how I train, I refer to it as easy days alternated with hard days, and one long run a week...Erica is right...running intervals wipe you out, but they do help your speed and endurance....:)
 
Thanks ladies. I've been doing incline walking on my treadmill. I wanted to give it a solid 3 weeks to a month to judge results and I can hamstring strength and definition, and some booty sculpting. I'm doing it to cardio coach (which as you know is interval) and keeping the incline in the 8-15% grade at a 4.5 - 5.0 mph pace. They are killer workouts! But I've been doing it almost everyday and I think that what I may do is alternate the incline interval training and steady state runs.

Lorrie
 

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