Before beginning any strenuous exercise program, you must consult with your physician. The Fitness Connection disclaims any liability, personal or professional, resulting from the misapplication of any of the exercises described in the following workout. If at any time you feel shortness of breath, chest pain or significant discomfort, stop and consult your doctor. Start slowly and use common sense when exercising.

INTERVAL TRAINING WORKOUT

If you've been exercising regularly but have hit a plateau and not lost any weight recently, you may need to try Interval Training. Interval Training improves your aerobic capacity and burns more calories than traditional one-intensity cardio workouts. If you consistently workout at the same level during your cardio workout, your body adapts and you find yourself on a plateau. Quite simply, Interval Training means varying the intensity within a workout. You add short bouts of intensity (referred to as an interval) that you could not sustain for the whole workout. You alternate high intensity intervals with low intensity recovery periods.

You can start by adding 2 or 3 intervals to one or two of your regular weekly cardio workouts and gradually increase the number of intervals per workout. During your high or speed intervals, listen to your body. You want to increase your breathing and perspiration, but not to the point of injury. The key is to go past your comfort zone, pushing yourself a little farther each time. Interval Training can be done on any cardio machine or outside (running, biking, swimming, etc.) although the below workout uses the treadmill.

• Beginners: Modify this workout according to your fitness level. If you want to go longer, you can. If you can't do a full minute at a high intensity, start with 30 seconds. If you need more recovery time, take it.
• The speeds/inclines given are only examples and can be increased or decreased as needed.
• Use the RPE's (Rate of Perceived Exertion) to monitor your exercise intensity. During High intensity intervals, you should be working hard – 8 RPE. During Medium intensity intervals you should stay around 4-5 RPE. Adjust your incline or MPH accordingly.
• If you can’t talk or feel dizzy, stop!
• Always check with your doctor before starting an exercise program
  
  

  Intensity Levels	Warm Up: 5-10 minutes
  Low	5 minutes: 3.0+ mph, 0% incline
  High	1 minutes: 3.2+ mph, incline: 6%
  Medium	2 minutes: 3.0+ mph, incline: 1%
  High	1 minute: 3.3+ mph, incline: 6%
  Medium	2 minutes: 3.0+ mph, incline 1%
  High	1 minute: 4.0+ mph, incline 3%
  Medium	2 minutes: 3.0+mph, incline: 1%
  High	1 minutes: 4.5+mph, incline: 2%
  Medium	2 minutes: 3.0+mph, incline 1%
  High	1 minute: 5.0+mph, incline 0%
  High	1 minute: 3.2+mph, incline 8%
  Medium	3 minutes: 3.0+mph, incline 0%
  Low	5 minutes: 2.5 mph+, incline: 0% - cool down
  Total Workout Time:	32 - 37 minutes