To avoid overtraining, perform two minute light jogging sessions in the week following your completion of each phase of the program before continuing. This beginner program will get you going on your aerobic interval training. After the intense interval, jog slowly for another 30 seconds and repeat 3 times.

Perform twice per week for 4 weeks. Add a duty cycle each week. In week 4, you should be performing 6 total intervals per workout, twice per week. Combined with your warmup, the total workout duration should be roughly 11 minutes by week 4.

The intermediate program involves three sessions per week and adds cycles each week. This results in a total of 18 intervals and roughly 25 minutes of total workout time.

By the time you get through the beginner and intermediate training programs, you will have 8 weeks of interval running training under your belt. At this point, you can opt to continue to push your aerobic capacity with the advanced aerobic training program, maintain your fitness with the intermediate program, or begin the anaerobic training program.

Each week, you will perform an additional cluster per workout. By week 4, you will be performing 6 clusters of 4 cycles for roughly 30 minutes of total workout time, including the warmup.

The interval used in the programs above is a 1-to-1 work-rest ratio and will primarily target the aerobic system. However, you can adapt your program for anaerobic training or a heavier aerobic focus by manipulating the ratio. To target anaerobic improvements, a work-rest ratio of 1-to-5 is better than 1-to In this case, an all-out sprint for 10 seconds followed by a second rest would maximally target anaerobic improvements.

Understand that aerobic and anaerobic training is a spectrum rather than a hard-and-fast number cutoff. Every activity involves some contribution from both systems, with each playing a greater role depending on the interval.

Interval running should be performed as part of a structured, planned program. Begin with just a few aerobic intervals before progressing to more intense anaerobic training or a high number of interval cycles. Interval running offers many benefits. These include the standard benefits of aerobic exercise, such as a lower heart rate and reduced blood pressure levels.

However, interval running causes additional adaptations due to the intensity level you reach during the hard intervals.

The studies on interval running show many overall health benefits, such as the following 2 , 3 , 4 , :. These benefits are similar to those associated with traditional longer duration running at slower paces. However, research suggests that interval running offers additional benefits over traditional running, including 5 , 6 :.

The number of calories you burn in an interval running session depends upon many factors, including your current weight and fitness level, the intensity of each work interval, and the total number of intervals used.

A minute session of aerobic exercise like interval running burns anywhere from — calories. However, the increased intensity from the intervals increases your metabolism over the following 24—48 hours, burning more calories at rest.

This is advantageous given the shorter amount of time needed for interval running workouts 7. When combined with a proper nutrition plan, interval running is a good way to support weight loss programs. Interval running activates most of the larger muscle groups of the lower body.

Research using electrical measurements of muscle activation found the following muscle groups are involved in interval running 8 :. These muscles are essentially the same as those worked during traditional running. However, due to the increased time spent at higher intensities, interval running will offer greater stimulus to these muscle fibers.

Interval running offers many health and performance benefits and burns calories during and after the workout. Interval running targets many of the large muscle groups in the lower body.

Overall, interval running is a safe way to improve cardiovascular health via shorter duration workouts, compared with traditional running.

Nevertheless, there are a few potential risks with interval running. These largely stem from the increased intensity and impact that occurs during the faster-paced intervals. While muscles can adapt fairly rapidly, it takes more time for your joints and bones to adapt to this stress.

To mitigate the potential for injury, start slowly when you begin interval running. If you have experience running but not with intervals, start with the beginner program and consider doing a single cluster for the first few weeks, with at least 2 full days between sessions.

If you have not exercised in a long time, a brisk walk may be enough intensity for the high intensity interval, and a slow walk for the low intensity interval. If possible, you should avoid hard surfaces like concrete or asphalt to reduce the impact. Rubberized track, grass, or other softer surfaces are your best bet for interval running.

Finally, always take an active rest week in between 4-week sessions. A few brief jogs or walks will maintain your fitness while allowing your body to recover for the next phase of training.

To avoid risks of injury or overtraining, add intervals slowly and take active rest weeks between each 4-week program. If it feels awkward holding a weight overhead while doing a walking lunge, begin by holding a broomstick or empty barbell until you get more comfortable with the movement.

Finish up your routine with a minute or two of ab work and call it good. The v-sit is a tough core exercise that engages the rectus abdominis, the external obliques, and internal obliques. Sung KD, Pekas EJ, Scott SD, Son WM, Park SY. The effects of a week jump rope exercise program on abdominal adiposity, vasoactive substances, inflammation, and vascular function in adolescent girls with prehypertension.

Eur J Appl Physiol. Thielen, S. Benefits of Running Stairs. American Council on Exericse. Bingley S, Witchalls J, McKune A, Humberstone C. Journal of Science and Medicine in Sport. Koral J, Oranchuk DJ, Herrera R, Millet GY.

Six Sessions of Sprint Interval Training Improves Running Performance in Trained Athletes. J Strength Cond Res. Chavarrias M, Carlos-Vivas J, Collado-Mateo D, Pérez-Gómez J. Health Benefits of Indoor Cycling: A Systematic Review. Medicina Kaunas. Yaacob N, Yaacob N, Ismail A, Che Soh N, Ismail M, Mohamed H, et al.

Dumbbells and ankle-wrist weight training leads to changes in body composition and anthropometric parameters with potential cardiovascular disease risk reduction. Journal of Taibah University Medical Sciences.

Ronai, P. The Pull-Up. Yang J, Christophi CA, Farioli A, Baur DM, Moffatt S, Zollinger TW, et al. Association Between Push-up Exercise Capacity and Future Cardiovascular Events Among Active Adult Men. JAMA Netw Open. Stastny P, Tufano JJ, Golas A, Petr M. Strengthening the Gluteus Medius Using Various Bodyweight and Resistance Exercises.

Strength Cond J. Schoffstall JE, Titcomb DA, Kilbourne BF. Electromyographic response of the abdominal musculature to varying abdominal exercises.

Kilpatrick M, Jung M, Little J. HIGH-INTENSITY INTERVAL TRAINING. By Elizabeth Quinn, MS Elizabeth Quinn is an exercise physiologist, sports medicine writer, and fitness consultant for corporate wellness and rehabilitation clinics.

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Repeat 10 times. Do 2 to 4, resting 5 minutes between sets. These lightning-fast efforts help you develop a fluid and efficient pedal stroke and cadence. Pedal as hard as you can for 10 seconds in a gear you can push 90 to rpm with effort, then spin easy for 20 seconds. Repeat for 10 to 15 minutes.

Recover by pedaling easy for 5 minutes. Do another set. On a moderate incline, stand out of the saddle and charge up the hill as fast as possible for 30 seconds. Coast back to your starting point. Repeat, this time seated. Alternate between standing and sitting for 6 climbs. Recover 10 minutes.

Developed by Japanese exercise scientist Izumi Tabata, these intense efforts train your body to use more muscle , as well as increase the intensity you can sustain over a minute time trial, which corresponds to your lactate threshold. Sprint as hard as possible for 20 seconds.

Coast for 10 seconds.

This can guide coaches in focusing on the most impactful areas during training. With these 5 iconic HIIT workouts you can directly start training. If you first want to learn more about the physiological background of these workouts, we highly recommend reading the more in-depth articles, using the buttons above.

Articles that also might help creating or choosing your most effective HIIT workout:. Once you understand these fundamentals, you immediately know what type of HIIT workout works best for achieving your goals.

Our comprehensive education platform bridges the gap between complex sports science and its real-world application, providing practical, science-based education for athletes and coaches at different levels.

With a vast library of in-depth sports science courses led by industry experts, INSCYD College simplifies complex sports science concepts and translates them into actionable insights. Plus, our unique business growth courses and certification opportunities can help coaches enhance their career development and grow their businesses.

Master the fundamentals via our education course: Muscular Energy Metabolism. Join INSCYD College today and start translating science into actual performance enhancements. An example of high intensity interval training is Tabata intervals or Billat intervals.

These intervals are short and high in intensity. Yes, a 20 minute HIIT workout is enough to increase VO2max and anaerobic capacity. There are even 4 minute HIIT workouts that are scientifically proven to improve sports performance.

These workouts help amateurs to become fit, and even increase performance of elite athletes, when added to their training program. Of course the training adaptation differs per person, depending on your current training status among others. These high-intensity intervals are alternated with recovery.

This enables you to do multiple HIIT intervals. High intensity intervals should be between 10 seconds and 5 minutes long. Of course you can use shorter or longer intervals, for instance during an over-under interval. There is no difference between HIIT and high intensity, since the abbreviation HIIT stands for high intensity interval training.

So yes, high intensity is the same as HIIT. Rønnestad, B. Superior performance improvements in elite cyclists following short-interval vs effort-matched long-interval training.

Some refer to zone 3 training as sweet spot training while others call it the grey zone. This article reveals what zone 3 training is. So you received your metabolic test report and now wonder what you should work on to improve performance?

But the true training effect of zone. A Functional Threshold Power FTP test is easy to perform, you only need a power meter. However, the insights you get from knowing your FTP.

Whether a VO2max of 50 is good depends on your age and gender. Moreover, while average VO2max values tell you something about your health, athletes. Create highly personalized training programs with lab-level performance insights anywhere anytime to analyze, optimize and improve performance faster and save cost.

Skip to content. Launch App. By Loek Vossen. Understanding HIIT Training. Are Longer or Shorter Intervals Better for HIIT? To decide whether longer or shorter intervals will work best for you, here are a few steps to consider: Understand the physiological demands of your goal Get to know your current metabolic profile Compare your goal with your current profile and learn what to work on Decide whether longer or shorter intervals make more sense, using this article Implement the intervals in your training program Track whether these intervals work for you, by performing regular performance tests.

FIND INSCYD COACH OR LAB. Tabata Intervals : A Quick and Effective HIIT Workout. Read Tabata Article. Read Article. VO2max Intervals : Increasing Your Aerobic Power. Example VO2max interval workout: 4x5min. Form and function take center stage when running intervals.

It can be tempting to keep moving once you get going, but the point of interval training is to do just that: run intervals. The recovery portions are just as important as the efforts. With active recovery, you slow down drastically but you keep moving in the form of a walk or jog.

With passive, you stop and completely rest to bring your heart rate down until the next interval is up. Mandje suggests starting with 4 x or 6 x , then gradually build up from there to 10 intervals. Keep the recovery time the same, regardless of how many intervals you run.

To find your current mile pace, use stats from a recent run and our pace calculator. For this workout, you will need to know your current or goal paces. If you have a recent mile, 5K, 10K, half marathon , or marathon time from the past month or two, you can pull your average mile pace and then use our pace calculator to determine your other goal times.

This workout can be done on a track or road, and is a great option for anyone looking to improve their endurance and race times at distances from 5K and above. Depending on your fitness level, you can start with 2 or 3 intervals and build from there.

This is a continuous 2- to 3-mile run with intermittent fast and slow running, meant to be done in a neighborhood or park with street light poles—this is also known as a Fartlek run. Depending on the distance between the poles, Solkin recommends you run the distance from 1 to 3 poles fast, then follow that by running the next 1 to 3 poles slow.

Do this for the entire run. Emily Abbate is a freelance writer, certified fitness trainer, and host of the podcast Hurdle. So how do you get the most out of interval training, and how long should each push and recovery be? One of the many great things about interval training workouts is that there's no single hard-and-fast rule.

Different lengths of work and recovery bring different benefits — and they're all good. There are even HIIT apps. These interval training workouts and exercise ideas can help you get started with your own interval training workout routine.

Running is a great exercise to build up stamina. You can run outside or pick up a treadmill for your home gym to exercise regardless of the weather. Once you're ready? Add these interval training workouts or exercises to your gym routine once a week to burn more calories, boost your overall fitness level, and get in and out of the gym faster.

That's a win-win-win. This is one of the best interval training workouts you can do to improve fitness. It gets your heart pumping and burns lots of calories in a short amount of time. How to do it:. Sprinting is great for tightening and toning your legs, glutes, and core. It increases your muscle power, which helps you push harder and makes your non-interval training workouts feel easier so you can challenge yourself and get even closer to reaching your goals.

This adds sprint interval training for a fast and fun workout. Here, after each burst of hard work, you'll recover for the same amount of time. Figure 8 Lunge. These alternating lunges zone in on your quads and glutes, giving you serious strength and definition. But first, make sure you know how to do a lunge correctly before jumping into this interval training move.

Trade in trekking along on the treadmill for some soccer drill-inspired cardio that has cardiovascular and circulation benefits, to boot.

This interval workout move mixes cardio and muscle-shaping strength work in one. Squeeze your glutes to add resistance to each squat, helping you burn calories with controlled movements. Burpee Box Jump.

If you have a recent mile, 5K, 10K, half marathon , or marathon time from the past month or two, you can pull your average mile pace and then use our pace calculator to determine your other goal times. This workout can be done on a track or road, and is a great option for anyone looking to improve their endurance and race times at distances from 5K and above.

Depending on your fitness level, you can start with 2 or 3 intervals and build from there. This is a continuous 2- to 3-mile run with intermittent fast and slow running, meant to be done in a neighborhood or park with street light poles—this is also known as a Fartlek run.

Depending on the distance between the poles, Solkin recommends you run the distance from 1 to 3 poles fast, then follow that by running the next 1 to 3 poles slow. Do this for the entire run. Emily Abbate is a freelance writer, certified fitness trainer, and host of the podcast Hurdle.

The Benefits of Resistance Sprints. The Best Interval Workout for Boosting Performance. Different Types of Runs Every Runner Should Know. How Much Rest Should You Take Between Intervals? How to Conquer Your Sprint Workouts.

How to Conquer Meter Repeat Workouts. Use this Chart to Find Your Treadmill Pace. The Ultimate Guide to HIIT for Runners. Steal This Speed Training Secret from the Pros.

Strength Cond J. Schoffstall JE, Titcomb DA, Kilbourne BF. Electromyographic response of the abdominal musculature to varying abdominal exercises.

Kilpatrick M, Jung M, Little J. HIGH-INTENSITY INTERVAL TRAINING. By Elizabeth Quinn, MS Elizabeth Quinn is an exercise physiologist, sports medicine writer, and fitness consultant for corporate wellness and rehabilitation clinics.

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List of Partners vendors. By Elizabeth Quinn, MS Elizabeth Quinn, MS. Elizabeth Quinn is an exercise physiologist, sports medicine writer, and fitness consultant for corporate wellness and rehabilitation clinics.

Learn about our editorial process. Learn more. Reviewers confirm the content is thorough and accurate, reflecting the latest evidence-based research.

Content is reviewed before publication and upon substantial updates. Tara Laferrara, CPT. Reviewed by Tara Laferrara, CPT. Tara Laferrara is a certified NASM personal trainer, yoga teacher, and fitness coach.

She also created her own online training program, the TL Method. Learn about our Review Board. Interval Workouts The great thing about adding interval training to your workout routine is that you can build both strength and endurance fast. Jumping Rope. Stair Running. Shuttle Sprints.

Dumbbell Squat to Press. Pull Ups. Push Ups. Walking Lunge With Weights. To this end, try adding interval training into your workouts one to two days a week. Aim for sessions lasting 30 to 45 minutes, depending on your fitness and your goals. Whether your main fitness goal is to train for an endurance race or finish a minute strength class, interval training will help you get there.

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Social Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Copy link to clipboard Share via email. In this article Arrow What Is Interval Training? Arrow The Role of Interval Training in Different Workouts Arrow How to Track Your Progress with Interval Training Arrow How Often Should You Do Interval Training?

The Role of Interval Training in Different Workouts. Try Interval Training with Peloton. How to Track Your Progress with Interval Training.

Sprinting is great for tightening and toning your legs, glutes, and core. It increases your muscle power, which helps you push harder and makes your non-interval training workouts feel easier so you can challenge yourself and get even closer to reaching your goals.

This adds sprint interval training for a fast and fun workout. Here, after each burst of hard work, you'll recover for the same amount of time. Figure 8 Lunge. These alternating lunges zone in on your quads and glutes, giving you serious strength and definition.

But first, make sure you know how to do a lunge correctly before jumping into this interval training move. Trade in trekking along on the treadmill for some soccer drill-inspired cardio that has cardiovascular and circulation benefits, to boot.

This interval workout move mixes cardio and muscle-shaping strength work in one. Squeeze your glutes to add resistance to each squat, helping you burn calories with controlled movements.

Burpee Box Jump. Combine these two CrossFit cult favorites for killer core and glute work. BTW, here's how to do a burpee the right way. Single-Leg Mountain Climbers. By isolating each leg in these interval training sets, you'll combine strength training, cardio, and core work.

X-Jump to X-Plank. Alternate between high and low jumping jacks to fire up your muscles and metabolism in under a minute flat. Make sure to engage your abs as you drop down to your plank for a little bonus burn. Plié Squat Jump. Use power from your thighs to launch up and land softly in a plié squat to hit your lower-body hard.

And consider some " squat therapy " to get your form down. This interval training exercise revs your metabolism, sculpts your shoulders, and works the biceps — with your own body weight. Double Snap Kick. By pulling your abs in tight, you'll work your core, outer thighs, and glutes all at once during this interval training move.

It is recommended that you consult an athletic trainer, coach, or personal trainer prior to designing an interval training program. Designing the right interval training routine can be sophisticated or casual.

Elite athletes may go to sports performance lab to have blood lactate and exercise metabolism testing performed to determine the best interval training routine. On the other end of the spectrum, you can use the casual "speed play" interval training fartlek without timing. You can vary your work and recovery intervals based on your goals.

Four variables you can manipulate when designing your interval training program include:. Build the number of repetitions over time.

To improve, increase intensity or duration, but not both at the same time. Make any changes slowly over a period of time. Beginners should start with short intervals under 30 seconds , fewer repeats, and more rest. Elite athletes can up the intensity, time, and frequency of training. Few athletes benefit from performing intervals more than two times per week.

With aerobic interval workouts, you alternate between moderate- to high-intensity exercise work intervals with a recovery interval. Aim for a recovery effort that brings your heart rate down to to bpm during the rest interval.

You can use any cardio activity, such as running, walking, cycling, elliptical trainer, etc. The workout can be as short as 10 minutes after a warm up of at least 5 minutes or can be as long as 60 minutes for those who are advanced.

Beginners may use shorter work intervals and longer recovery intervals. As fitness improves, the work and recovery intervals can be adjusted so the work intervals are longer as much as 10 minutes and the recovery intervals shorter such as 2 minutes.

Here is a typical AIT workout:. You can do aerobic interval workouts two or more times per week. You can use any cardio activity, such as running or cycling, that can bring your heart rate up to the anaerobic zone.

These workouts are usually shorter because they are so intense, often just 20 minutes after a warm up. The rest interval is usually twice as long as the work interval, such as 30 seconds of sprinting followed by 1 minute of recovery.

The warm up should be longer than with less intense intervals, in the range of 10 to 15 minutes. Due to the intensity, allow 24 to 48 hours of recovery between HIIT workouts. An example of an anaerobic interval workout:. Interval training can spice up your workouts and lead to better fitness and performance.

Add a couple of interval workouts to your weekly schedule and allow time in between to recover. Hoyt T. Skeletal muscle benefits of endurance training: Mitochondrial adaptations.

AMAA J. Kortianou EA, Nasis IG, Spetsioti ST, Daskalakis AM, Vogiatzis I. Effectiveness of interval exercise training in patients with COPD. Clearly the training volume is a key factor for training adaptations. And HIIT training is no different. However, this depends on the intensity of the intervals and purpose of the training session.

For instance, sub-maximal HIIT intervals allow a much larger training volume than sprint intervals, because of the lower intensity. As an example, a well-conditioned endurance runner might complete 30minutes of submaximal intervals 6 x 5minute 10k pace intervals.

In contrast, the same athlete might only complete 2minutes of maximal hill sprints 10 x 12 second hill sprints.

However, from an endurance training perspective, we can typically divide these into three intensity levels:. This type of training is essential for athletes competing in endurance events.

So, runners competing in events of 5k or longer, cyclists competing in events like 10mile or 40K time trials, cross-country skiers, triathletes and duathletes.

So why is this important? By doing this, you can complete a greater amount of HIIT compared with VO2max, or sprint intervals. Research Zuniga et al. In fact, training volume is a key factor in developing both muscular endurance, aerobic conditioning and lactate threshold. Another advantage is an increased work to rest ratio.

This raises the average intensity of the workout—a combination of the work interval and the rest interval. So, even with the recoveries, the average intensity of this session would be above lactate threshold intensity for many athletes. Training at these intensities is more effective at increasing VO2 max than lower intensities, including the lactate threshold intensity Gormley et al.

Research indicates the improvements in VO2max relate to increased stroke volume of the heart Helgerud et al. In addition, submaximal HIIT appears to increase cardiac efficiency and the maximal mitochondrial capacity of the heart Hafstad et al.

Besides improvements in VO2max, these intensities appear to be important for improved endurance exercise performance. Importantly, it can also lower blood lactate concentrations at submaximal intensities.

In fact, research has demonstrated that training at these intensities allows athletes to race at faster speeds, or power outputs, without increasing blood lactate concentrations.

Interestingly, these improvements occur independently of any changes in VO2max Acevado and Goldfarb ; Londere Suggesting, an increased ability to sustain higher work intensities. Training in this way places a powerful stimulus on both maximal aerobic power and lactate threshold.

We know from research that running efficiency improves at the intensities used during training. This is backed by research which found continuous distance running training, and long interval training, improved running economy at speeds used during training.

In comparison, shorter intervals, run at faster speeds, did not appear to have a significant effect on running efficiency at slower speeds Franch et al. However, as you will discover later in this article: new research has found sprint intervals are effective at improving running efficiency.

This reduces the workload of individual muscle fibers and improves fatigue resistance. Research in cyclists Stepto et al. This agrees with research looking at endurance runners, which found that optimum interval training intensity should be around, or slightly above, target race intensity.

We have seen similar performance benefits with rowers Driller et al. In this study, researchers found that using 8 x 2. In order to maximise the benefits of submaximal HIIT training, recovery periods should relatively short—ideally with a work to rest ratio of around — Gosselin et al.

It also appears that active recoveries are more effective than passive recoveries Menzies et al. As you can see, this allows a significant amount of training time to at near VO2max intensity.

At the same time we increase the average intensity, because of the short active recoveries. What are VO2max workouts? Compared with Submaximal intervals, the work rate is higher. Research has established that training at this intensity produces a potent training stimulus Little et al.

In fact, the training adaptation to this intensity is quick—often athletes achieve improvements after just weeks. Research in runners has found VO2max intervals referred to as vVO2max intervals can improve running performance, VO2max, the velocity at the lactate threshold vLT , running economy, vVO2max and neuromuscular co-ordination Esfarjani and Laursen, ; Dendai et al.

In another study, vVO2max training improved m running performance, m performance, the velocity at OBLA onset of blood lactate accumulation , running economy, and vVO2max in a group of well-trained runners Dendai et al. Similar results have been seen in cyclists. With cycling, we set training intensity to the power output that corresponds with VO2max, rather than the velocity at VO2 max.

They based the interval duration on the percentage of the time the cyclists could sustain P max. In another study, shorter duration Pmax intervals x 60s at Pmax, 75 second recoveries also proved to be a potent stimulus for improving exercise performance.

The researchers also observed increased mitochondrial function within the muscle Little et al. Researchers have often used a percentage of the time that athletes can sustain VO2max Tmax to determine the interval duration.

That said, shorter duration intervals also produce a powerful training stimulus. Billat et al. In another study, researchers noted that shorter intervals 30s intervals, with 30s recoveries allowed athletes to train at a higher total and average VO2, HR, and with lower blood lactate, compared with 3minute intervals Zuniga et al.

They concluded that shorter intervals may allow athletes to complete longer duration interval sessions, while placing a greater metabolic stress as measured by total and average VO2 with reduced blood lactate levels. Both short and longer VO2max intervals can be very effective for improving endurance exercise performance.

However, the training benefits from each are slightly different. That said, my preference is to complete longer VO2max intervals, while completing shorter intervals at intensities above VO2max intensity. The image below shows a popular VO2max interval training workout.

In this example, the warm up includes short accelerations, building to just above VO2max intensity. The main workout then comprises 5 x 3minute intervals at VO2max intensity, separated by 3minute recoveries at half the work rate of the intervals.

Supramaximal, or sprint interval workouts, use intensities that are significantly above the speed or power output at the VO2max. Training at these intensities involves a strong anaerobic component.

And often leads to an accumulation of lactate in the muscles and blood. While this intensity is less specific for endurance athletes, research has shown it to improve exercise performance.

While there are many variations of sprint intervals, we can loosely categorise these into 3 distinct types:. Here, the focus is purely on exercising at the fastest possible speed, highest intensity, or power that you can sustain.

Since we can only sustain maximum power and speed for a matter of seconds; these intervals need to be very short—normally limited to ~10seconds. And, in order to maintain intensity, these require a long recovery—typically, using a work to rest ratio.

As an example, a runner might complete a series of very short maximal hill sprints, with each lasting just 10seconds and broken up by minutes of very easy jogging. While these intervals are very intense, they do not lead to big increases in blood lactate.

In fact, the primary energy source comes from alactic energy stores within your muscles. Despite the high intensity, they are one of the least demanding—from a metabolic standpoint—forms of interval training. Speed endurance intervals focus on pushing the upper limits of anaerobic energy production—both alactic and lactate energy production.

We then combine this with a long recovery period—typically using a — work to rest ratio. As an example, a runner might complete m intervals at close to maximum intensity, with each interval separated by minutes of rest, walking or very light jogging.

While the intensity is lower than maximal sprints, these are more challenging. And, there is a greater risk of over-training. We also see a significant rise in lactate levels and muscle and blood acidity.

One further variation of sprint interval training involves completing short anaerobic intervals, coupled with short active recoveries. An example session might involve completing 30second intense efforts, separated by 30 seconds of very light exercise, or rest.

They also improve your capacity to tolerate significant increases in blood and muscle acidity. Because of the intense work intervals, and short recoveries, the production of lactate is greater than lactate metabolism. Consequently, blood and muscle acidity levels, increase with each work interval, leading to a steady decrease in muscle pH.