Readers Respond: What's Your Favorite Interval Training Workout?

The right sort of interval training not only builds fitness fast, but it helps you get race-ready, burns more calories and improves endurance.

How about you? Do you have a favorite interval workout? Share Your Favorite

Football sprints

I love to run my intervals on a football field. Warm up with a light jog from one goal post to the other and back. Then sprint from one end to the other and walk back. I do it till I can't sprint the whole field

—Guest Robert

Killer interval for results

All your intervals are great!!! My running interval is 5 to 7 minute warm up, then hell breaks loose. 2 minute 90% sprint then 1 minute rest. I do this for 20 or thirty minutes depending how much time I have. then I hit the weights. I am 46 years old, a crossfit trainer, areobics teacher, fitness instruktor, a guy who likes to kick my butt and yours when I get the chance!!! Steven Training...

—Guest Steven

Favorite interval training workout

I have an old lifefitness bike (circa 1990) and here is what I do. Set the bike to MANUAL. Warm up at 2 (out of max 12) for 5 mins. Then 3 mins at 5 (out of 12) Then 1 min. at 12 (highest resistance) followed by 3 mins. at level 1. Do 5 sets of these, followed by a 3 min. cool down for a very fast 30 min. workout. Heartrate after 1st sprint is 160 - goes back down to 130 before my next sprint. Last sprint I hit a heartrate of 180 - goes back to 140 for my 3 min. cool down. After 2 weeks (3 x's per week) I add a sprint to a max of 7 sprints. I'm 50 years old.

—Guest Steve

Intensive Interval

2 to 3 sets 5x100m with 1 to 2 min. rest between each .

—Guest mrgeniuz

treadmill

I do 20 mins a day on a treadmill - 1 min walk; 1 min sprint x 10.

—Guest larry

12/18 suits me fine!

A few minutes' warm up followed by 12 seconds all out and 18 seconds recovery, for as many reps as I can before I feel like throwing up. Any machine will do, but the Precor AMT is my favourite. Cool down to 60% working heart rate.

—Guest Craig

Silver Shadow

Trainers keep in mind that Intervals can be extremely challenging. Intelligent training requires monitoring for myocardial stress. At the point a recovery trend line "breaks" exercise must be stopped. Exercise even slightly in excess of our adaptative capacity causes irreversible catabolic oxidative damage and if done to excess will do catabolic damage to the heart. I've been educating trainers for years and I always teach them to set parameters for safety. The criteria for a good workout should not just be based on calories burned and being completely fatigued. Experiments have shown that cutting the endurance training in half and substituting strength training resulted in an increased VO2 peak. These workouts also strengthened left ventricular function by all criteria. Athletes try box jump intervals! Set the box at a challenging highth. Straddle box, explode from a squatting position WALK down, don't jump down. No plyometrics here. 10-15 acceleration jumps, rest 2-4 min. Repeat x

—Guest Rick Bramos

Silver Shadow

First you must qualify who this program is for; deconditioned, overweight, regular exerciser, competitive athlete. Is your goal to optimize reducing fat stores or building endurance. As most of my clients are looking to lose weight (fat) I will address this. One of the safest ways for all levels requires using a bike. It has a lower impact on the joints and is safer than a treadmill when going to fatigue. Perform a 5 minute warm up then go into your first what I call Grizzly Bear Interval, adjusting the tension on the bike as to not over spin, potentially injuring the knees, but not so much tension that it is uncomfortable. Adjust the tension to go all out for 10 to 20 seconds as if you are running a 100 yard dash with a Grizzly Bear chasing you! Recover 2-4 minutes taking advantage of ATP recovery which is very aerobic from the very first interval. 6 of these will take 30 minutes and will kick any ones tail if they go all out. Look for a recovery trend line to monitor myocardial stres

—Guest Rick Bramos

running

Warm up RPE 5 for 5 min then 30 min of RPE 7 & RPE 9 alternating one min each. Finish with RPE 5 for 5 min.

—Guest marissa

running outside

sprinting for the duration of a song and recover for a minute, and then repeat it four more times.

—Guest Yoshi

Treadmill Workout

I warm up for 10 minutes at 12.5km/hr,walk for 1 minute then run at 14.5km/hr for two minutes; repeat another six times, then 5 minute warm down

—Guest ger

Ambassador Guthrie:

Interval Training is a once per week training requirement. 12, 29, 2009, Tuesday my training: stretching, easy elyptical training on elyptical work for a basic aerobic work. This is 20 minutes to 45 minutes + your base and your desires. Thorough stretching with pauses are now required. Go to the bicycle: training intervals 1.5 minutes rest cycle and 1.5 minutes speed interval cycle. Total 30 minutes. A light stretch. Now, if you are really in good basic shape. Do 2 miles + on the treadmill. Upgrade the range as you go. My yesterday jog - run was 2.25 miles @ warm up 6.3 and training about 8 m.p.h. to 8.7 m.p.h. A warm down walk is good. Stretch easy stretches. Today is chest and triceps day. The first set is 76 push ups and the second set is 45 push ups. 3 sets d. b. presses. 3 sets dips. 3 sets rope tricep push downs. Titles: Regional Jr. Olympics and Novice S. U. S. Powerlifting Champion. Dixie National Karate Champion. United States Sports Games Director.

—Guest William "Jerry" Guthrie

High Intensity Intervals (Treadmill)

I set a specific time goal and start by walking @4mph for 1 lap then run @10 mph for as long as I can, then drop to 6 mph for 1 minute, then repeat the 10-6 intervals until I get 2 minutes from my stop time and drop to 4 mph for 1 minute then 2mph for the final minute. I'm getting my degree in Physical Education and used this as part of a routine last year to drop 23 pounds in 4 weeks.

—Guest Johnathan S

Rowing Workout

One minute sprint on the rowing machine must complete 300 metres, rest for one minute and complete cycle 15 times.

—Guest Dan Kennedy

Jogging/Walking

I am new to interval training so I jog for 30 seconds then walk for 60 seconds, I repeat for 6 cycles.

—Guest John