Interval Training

Harvard fitness experts present a 56-page report for anyone who wants to supercharge their health with short, effective workouts.
Based on current research and evidence this reports gives you ways to help you perform interval training safely and effectively—at any age! 

• Targets key muscles you need to for an active lifestyle. Interval training can help maintain fast-twitch muscle fibers needed for quick bursts of activity, such as darting across the street before the light changes. In this report, you’ll get exercises to target these muscles to maintain your lifestyle and, for older folks, independence. 
• Builds strength (even while doing cardio): Interval training can increase muscle mass in both younger and older adults. And if you gravitate more toward aerobic exercise than toward strength training, interval training may offer you a way to improve strength while doing the type of exercise you enjoy the most!
•  Maintains muscle power: As you age, power declines at twice the rate strength does—as much as 3.5% a year for power compared with 1.5% for strength. Interval training—even cardio intervals—can accomplish the same thing, because the short bursts of high-intensity activity target the fast-twitch fibers.  
• Plus, you get many workouts you can try to see what works for you! 

Everyone loves a shortcut, especially when it comes to getting in shape. And even though HIIT already offers a faster way to get fit, researchers have been on the hunt to see how much more they can reduce workout time without sacrificing benefits. When it comes to total high-intensity time, one minute seems to do it, according to multiple studies. The studies tested a workout consisting of three 20-second, all-out intervals, each followed by two minutes of easy recovery for a total workout time of only 10 minutes. When researchers had sedentary and overweight men and women try this three times a week for six weeks, the exercisers improved their cardiorespiratory capacity by an average of 12%, a significant improvement. They also decreased their blood pressure, and they showed increases in the number and activity of energy-producing mitochondria in muscle cells (see “Improve metabolic function,” page 13). This mini workout has also been tested against a more traditional 45-minute steady-paced cardio workout. Both groups had similar improvements in their fitness and health after 12 weeks.

• Interval training: The fast track to fitness
  • What is interval training? 
  • How interval training developed 
• Types of interval training 
  • Cardio, strength, and combo workouts
  • Long, medium, or short intervals 
  • Less formal intervals 
• The benefits of interval training 
• Safety first
  • When to talk to a doctor
  • Tips for people with specific conditions
  • All-around tips for preventing injuries
  • Posture and alignment 
• Getting started
  • Frequently asked questions 
  • How to make HIIT seem easier 
  • Terminology used in the workouts
• Warm-up 
• CARDIO: Low-impact Interval Workout
• CARDIO: High-impact Interval Workout
• CARDIO/STRENGTH: Core Interval Workout
• STRENGTH: Dumbbell Interval Workout
• STRENGTH: Body-weight Interval Workout 
• Stretches 
• Resources
• Glossary

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