Thursday 5 December 2013

The benefits of interval training

We have all heard of interval training before.  There is a plethora of combinations and permutations to set up interval workouts with, and each has its advantage depending on what you are training for. That being said, they all involve the same basic concept: run really hard, recover, repeat.
If you’ve heard of interval training, you also have probably heard that it is a good use of your
training time.  The downside is that it is a little more painful than a normal run.  Because of the added discomfort, runners will often avoid interval training, or not push themselves to a high-end pace during the workout.  If your goal is to see results, this is a mistake.  Interval training is not only a good use of your time, but it is the best use of your time.
Just how good are intervals?
Take for instance this 2011 study.  In the study, subjects were divided into 2 groups that did 6 weeks of training.