It’s been real busy in my world, and that’s great. doing lots of training, doing lots of exercise etc programs, lots of travelling, and lots of reading. It would be good to get a lot more sleep but what can I say…
l’ve been teaching several programs for ex etc on hi intensity training, something I’ve been promoting to the few clients I have – all older, over 65, 70 – who are willing to do it, for years.
The research, which I try to stay current with, has suggested the various benefits, other than cutting time of exercise down, may make it more appropriate for the boomers and even older folks than even the younger ones. Young folks may use intervals for athletic prep but may not be so inclined to use them for general fitness. Older folks have different issues – incl middle age spread and shortage of time, and even lack of desire to exercise at all. Thus, when a technique such as HIT – hi intensity training – comes along that will combat visceral and abdominal fat, will take less time than what most docs recommend, and because of these may justify the effort that has to be put for
th. When all the aerobic benefits, include cellular, vascular, and cardiac, can be gotten with 1/4th to 1/3rd the commitment of time. When you can also get anaerobic benefits such as cardiovascular power, leg power, and maintenance of type 2 muscle fibers – the ones that we lose as we age, that are necessary for power efforts – well, you can understand why I promote it, especially for those who only come see me twice a week.
Now, don’t get me wrong: regular exercise on a near-daily basis is preferred. If someone is unwilling to make that commitment but willing to train with intensity when they come see me twice a week, then by golly they should get the biggest bang for their bucks as I can give to them. My hope is that that, should they want to do a third or fourth session of the week that they would throw in a few of these intervals for good measure. If they don’t, then I know at least they got something out of the time they had with me.
So I suggest you read the following non-technical articles: http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/02/15/how-1-minute-intervals-can-impr…
and http://www.shape.com/fitness/workouts/8-benefits-high-intensity-interval…
and give it a shot. In fact, while there are no set time frames, just the suggested one-minute sets above, play with them. I use 30/30 second bouts of ex/recovery, 15/15 sec, or 20/10 sec bouts. mix and match. don’t try to get burned out the first several sets. when you reach the last 2-3 you should be ready to quit; work through it. Of course, if you have a medical condition – heart disease, asthma, etc – that can be exacerbated by this kind of effort, talk with your doc first. Remember – a HIT set is simply an effort slightly harder than you ordinarily put out. So if you’re a 20 min/mile walker, walking fast enough to cover a quarter mile in 4 minutes instead of 5 is a sprint. It’s all relative, and it’s all good.
Plus, you finish your workout sooner.
Drink a nice tall one after – no, not beer – low fact chocolate milk!!!!