What is interval training?
Many people practice durability training. For example, they walk or cycle for an hour. The goal of this exercise is to improve the condition and increase the fitness skill. You can also start by building up the condition first, to really lay out a foundation for the next steps. To do that you can use the interval training schedule. This way the condition can improve faster than when you do endurance training.
An example of interval training is that you run for 3 minutes and then walk for 3 minutes. This way you can lay a foundation as a beginner. When your condition has improved, you can decide to sprint 2 minutes and then run or cycle for another 5 minutes for a total of 30 minutes. If you have built up enough endurance then the duration can be extended.
Furthermore, you can increase the 2 minutes of sprinting to 3 minutes. Then you can also adjust 5 minutes of quiet running. You can first raise it to 8 minutes and then slowly reduce it to 5 minutes.
Interval training is a great way to exercise because it is healthy, it improves the condition and it keeps you feeling challenged.
Improving your endurance
You need a basic endurance level to be able to exercise, even if for example you want to go hiking. People who don't exercise a lot and then suddenly want to exercise, will soon notice that they don't get very far and that they soon may experience pain and discomfort. The body can't cope with that challenge. Slowly building up your endurance is the first important step when you start exercising.
Second step is to make a good plan. Your exercise plan should have a clear structure. Every week you can take a step further, so that you slowly but steadily build up to a better condition and increase your stamina.
Third step for improving your endurance is interval training. It’s important not to immediately start with it, but to take it slow in order to avoid traumas. Nevertheless, interval training should be a part of your exercise plan. After a few weeks of working on the basic condition, you can slowly build in interval training moments, which makes you develop your endurance faster.
