Interval training was originally designed to encourage people to vary the intensity of their workouts. By varying the speed and intensity of workouts, you give the muscles time to rest and recover. Today, many popular workout retreats and camps use elements of interval training workouts for speed, agility, and strength training.
One of the most successful is Koh Fit. They offer an intense fitness program on the island of Koh Samui, in Thailand, that combines the elements of cross-training, interval training, and other disciplines into a total fitness programme that delivers results.
Benefits of Varying Your Training Programmes
The concept of interval training has been the basis of athletic training programmes for speed, endurance, and strength workouts for many years. By varying your level of speed and intensity within your workouts, you can raise the overall level of your athletic performance without causing residual damage to your muscles. Dieters can even burn more calories.
Interval training benefits the body by providing the varying intensities of exercises that enable the body’s aerobic and anaerobic systems to perform the way they were designed to.
How Interval Training Works
When you work out, your anaerobic system metabolises glycogen stored in your muscles when your body enters the more intensive phase of your workout. In other words, your system turns the glycogen in your muscles into food the muscles can use to provide the energy you need to complete the workout.
During this intense phase of the workout, lactic acid builds up in your muscles. You can experience oxygen debt as a result of this buildup. By varying the intensity of the workout, the body is allowed to recover and gives the heart and lungs time to start working together. This returns the amount of oxygen to levels that break down the lactic acid and prevent the muscle aches, stomach pain, and rapid breathing it can cause.
The aerobic system takes over and uses oxygen to metabolise stored carbohydrates into energy. This makes it possible to work out for a much longer period and get more out of the exercise session.
Types of Interval Training Exercises
There are some common interval training exercises that are found in many professional workout programmes throughout the world. These exercises deliver the type of aerobic and anaerobic benefits that trainers are looking for.
- 30-second sprint drills have been found to deliver the same amount of benefits as slow cardio exercises in a fraction of the time.
- Jumping rope has been used for years to increase endurance, balance, muscle strength, and agility. Boxers are famous for using jump rope to increase their cardiovascular fitness.
- Stair running is an intense way to build up foot speed, power, and agility. It also helps quickly increase your cardiovascular fitness and stamina.
- Shuttle runs provide stop-and-start activities that can be invaluable for athletes trying to increase their power and endurance, specifically in the legs. They are often used in basketball training exercise programmes.
- Sprint and speed training drills help build the strength and stamina to benefit any sport by increasing speed and endurance. Aim to attain a level that allows you to run for 20-30 minutes at a time.
Attain Total Fitness at Koh Fit
There are some aspects of complete and total fitness that the most well-designed, comprehensive interval or cross-training programme can’t provide. That’s the support and encouragement you need to follow through with the exercises. Good intentions are rarely enough when it comes to changing your life for the better, and the more intensive the programme you choose, the more support you’ll need to attain your goals.
At Koh Fit, our expert instructors will teach you how to exercise correctly and safely. By learning how to exercise properly, you’ll also learn to enjoy the process, and you’ll get more health benefits out of the time you spend with us.
Attaining total fitness is all about finding your limits and pushing the boundaries. You’ll be pushing your limits surrounded by experts and reaping the benefits of their knowledge in strength conditioning and nutrition. You’ll also enjoy the many tips on form and execution that can make your journey to total fitness easier and smoother.
We offer 1-week, 2-week, and 4-week retreats at our tropical Koh Samui, Thailand facilities. Your retreat begins with a Total Fitness Induction to analyse your physical ability and so we learn more about your fitness goals. So, what are you waiting for? Join our Total Fitness workout programme in Thailand and take control of your health.