On the Treadmill-To-Nowhere. . . Fast
Runner on the treadmill. istockphoto.com
As an avid fitness enthusiast, I can honestly admit to spending a good deal of time in sweaty gym facilities with clanging weights, lots of muscles and rows of cardio equipment. One consistent character, who can always be found in any given facility, is the quintessential cardio poster child—the girl glued to the treadmill or elliptical, dripping sweat, and flipping through her US Weekly Magazine for upwards of an hour, having never moved the intensity dial. Once she is on the verge of passing out, she turns off the machine, grabs her trendy gym bag and heads home for the day. But don't worry—she'll be back tomorrow, and every day after that, on the same exact piece of equipment, working at the same exact intensity level. In fact, I don't think she even realizes there's a second floor to the gym.
Don’t get me wrong, cardio definitely has its place in a well-balanced exercise program. Benefits include improved heart function, increased metabolism, reduced risk of osteoporosis, increased muscles mass, enhanced post-workout fat burn and many more. Unfortunately, performing the same, monotonous routine day after day is a huge waste of time and money. Not to mention, it’s really boring. Studies show that it’s possible to achieve better results in a shorter amount of time by incorporating interval training into your cardio regimen.
Interval training, as defined by The American Council On Exercise (ACE) involves alternating short bursts of intense activity with what is called active recovery, typically a less-intense form of the original activity. So, if you’re on the aforementioned treadmill, a sample routine might look something like this:
- 3-minute brisk walk to warm up at 3.5 mph
- 2-minute jog to get the blood pumping at 5.0 or 5.5 mph
- 1-minute all-out sprint at 6.5 or 7 mph (or 8 mph if you’re feeling crazy)
- 1-minute recovery walk at 3.0 mph (yes, ONLY 1 minute)
- Repeat steps 2-4 four more times
- Cool down with a 2-minute walk at 3.5 mph TOTAL: 25 minutes
If you’re still bored after a week or two, try a different piece of equipment. Or better yet, try 5 minutes each on 3-4 different types of equipment. Maybe consider taking up a new activity such as a recreational sport, new gym class, outdoor running group, etc. Whatever you do, challenge yourself. We challenge ourselves every day at work to constantly reach and perform at new and higher levels—why should our bodies be any different? 