Recent study on Interval Training

[MSR]

Apologies if this has already been discussed. I could find no previous threads on the subject.

The article (http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/health-and-families/health-news/short-bursts-of-exercise-will-make-you-fitter-quicker-1921419.html) below appeared in the Independent on 15 February.

I found this particularly interesting as I've always been one of natures natural sprinters and never liked long endurance training regimes, hence never really built up a reserve of stamina.

I have been away from training for several months now due to real life reasons not associated with health. I now need to train back up before getting back into MA as I've developed the beginnings of a gut and lost some muscle tone and flexibility. I know some say "just get on with it" but if I try jumping straight back in right now, I'll likely pull something or aggravate an old injury, so would prefer to "innoculate" myself with the gym for two or three months first.

I've been doing endurance training on bikes and rowing machines (I've got crap cardio) and some work on the weights machines. Then this caught my eye and I wondered if I couldn't integrate a couple of such sessions into my routine. Perhaps do something similar to what's described in the article on the bikes.

Any thoughts much appreciated.

Short bursts of exercise will make you fitter quicker

Interval training doesn't have to be intense to achieve results, research says

By Jeremy Laurance, Health Editor

Monday, 15 March 2010

Like the diet that guarantees weight loss, the fitness regime which delivers maximum benefit for minimum effort is the Holy Grail of exercise coaches. Now they believe they have found it.

Alternating short bursts of intense activity with brief rest periods delivers more benefit for less exercise, research shows. As a way of building fitness and muscle power it beats traditional types of long-term exercise such as cycling or walking, scientists say.

"Doing 10 one-minute bursts of activity on an exercise bike, interspersed by one-minute rests, three times a week, works as well in improving muscle as many hours of conventional long-term biking less strenuously," said Professor Martin Gibala of McMaster University, Canada, who led the study.

To achieve equivalent results by traditional endurance training would require over 10 hours of moderate-intensity cycling in a period of two weeks.

It had been thought that interval training had to involve "all-out" effort at the maximum of which the individual was capable to be effective. This was fine for athletes, but not as good for ordinary people extracting themselves from their natural habitat on the sofa.

Previous studies have shown that a quick HIT (high-intensity interval training) involving all-out effort was as good as a long cycle ride (or stroll), despite taking less time and, remarkably, involving less exercise.

The new study, published in the Journal of Physiology, showed that a less extreme form of HIT also works. The subjects used an ordinary exercise bike and pedalled at about half the speed involved in an all-out sprint. The results were as good. "We have shown that interval training does not have to be 'all-out' to be effective," Professor Gibala said.

It is simple to adapt an exercise regime to resemble interval training. When out jogging or cycling, individuals can alternate one-minute sprints with one minute of coasting. The length of the sprints, and the intervals between them, can be varied as fitness improves.

Why HIT should be so effective remains unclear. But the excuse of having "too little time to exercise" is no longer tenable, Professor Gibala says. "It should be possible for the general public," he said.

[righty]

Urrgghhh, why can't these articles ever enter in the actually reference details of the journal article in question.

[Vimtoforblood]

Journal of Physiology?

[righty]

Title, Author list, volume number, issue, page number, in print or online.

[pauli]

Urrgghhh, why can't these articles ever enter in the actually reference details of the journal article in question.

because that would constitute journalism, and there are no more journalists.

[Vimtoforblood]

Title, Author list, volume number, issue, page number, in print or online.

Know what you mean- it would certainly help. The BBC's a right one for doing that. Here's the article:

Journal Reference:

1. Jonathan P Little, Adeel S Safdar, Geoffrey P Wilkin, Mark a Tarnopolsky, and Martin J Gibala. A practical model of low-volume high-intensity interval training induces mitochondrial biogenesis in human skeletal muscle: potential mechanisms. The Journal of Physiology, 2010; DOI: 10.1113/jphysiol.2009.181743

[kungfu_kyle]

great post thanks for sharing!

The beauty of interval training is that it allows you to train at a higher intensity, challenging all of your energy systems aerobically and anaerobically, without putting too much stress on your body.

This is great specifically for martial artists as combat is a mixture of aerobic and anaerobic activity (punches and kicks are explosive movements and a series or combination of strikes will be fuelled by your anaerobic system, as they rely on fast twitch muscle fibres).

The real secret to effectively training with intervals is to mix them in with other activities other than just traditional cardio (jogging, cycling, rowing etc).

Using simple body weight exercises can also be a great way of training at high intensity over short bursts (and choosing the right exercises are great for ma conditioning as well).

A good example of this is tabata training which is a big thing in the fitness and conditioning world right now. The idea is to work in 20 second bursts of 'higher' intensity exercises, with 10 seconds of rest inbetween.

Choose two exercises (say one upper body and one lower body) and alternate between the two, 20 secs on, 20 secs off, trying to keep the intensity and speed up. Keep going 3-4 mins for 3 to 4 rounds for a short, challenging interval based workout.

Just another way of making your training more functional : )

[MSR]

Thanks, interesting response. I'll shortly have plenty of time for the gym which is why I'm resurrecting this thread as it's time to design my workout.

When reading about high intensity, one also reads a lot of comments about how "the less fit" should never attempt it - that it's only for those at the peak of their training, to be used as a "top up" in the last few weeks before an event, for example.

Yet it occurred to me that MA training is high intensity by definition. I started in Karate years ago, then recently returned to MA to take up Kung Fu and over the year and half in which I was regularly training prior to my recent holiday from it, I was doing nothing but high intensity throughout every hour long session, and I wasn't doing any gym time in between. And I'm not a cripple!

So I think I'm a convert to high intensity workouts. The only role I can currently see for lengthy cardio sessions is more of a mental workout to develop a mindset for tolerating pain and fatigue.

Any further thoughts or suggestions for good training regimes to start out with? I'll be using the gym for the foreseeable future as my domestic arrangements aren't conducive to getting any serious exercise done at home.

Cheers

[kungfu_kyle]

The thing with 'high intenstiy' is that it's how the person performing it percieves it and feels.

As an exercise coach I deal with some pretty out of condition people, and i can get them doing some quite 'high intensity' work quite quickly (once they have passed the mobility phase and i get muscles doing their job). At the end of the day there are a lot of people out there who can't properly carry their own body weight and find basic exercises challenging.

Obviously if they have specific heart or blood pressure conditions then i take a slightly different approach, but generally i can get most people through a basic circuit without too many problems, it just needs to be adapted to their level.

remember it's an individual thing and it's not all about speed, it's about what you can actually do. obviously this will improve as time goes on.

here's a really simple yet challenging mobillity body weight circuit:

choose any 5 body weight exercises (as a simple example you could use push ups, squats, lunges, pull ups and reverse ab curls as they hit pretty much the whole body).

For the first 5 sets, you perform each exercise for one minute and record your max (it doesn't matter if you stop and start, just do your one minute max), then rest for one minute before moving to the next exercise.

Once you have your max reps for each exercise, half them and then put them together in to a circuit and try and get through it as quickly as you can for another 4 rounds...

sounds easy but suprisingly challenging!

You might want to have a look at Scott Sonnen's "tacfit programme" to, he has some very good ideas for combat specific training : )

Kyle

[MSR]

Thanks, that's good. I think I needed a place to start - a point of reference to build from. I'll give it a go.

A question about the circuit: is it a good idea to vary the order in which I perform the exercises? I've read something somewhere about doing this to prevent the body getting into a rhythm or getting too used to a set number of exercises in a set order. Does this really matter that much? Can an irregular routine enhance the workout by making your body adapt to a new situation each time?

Another thought just occurred to me: assuming I were to look for a coach at some stage, what criteria should I apply when choosing and at what stage of my training is the best time to look? Would it be better to try to build a basic level of fitness myself before looking for someone to coach me up to the next level, or the other way around? And how do you spot a cowboy?

Thanks

[mindcoach]

The basic principles of periodization have a person starting with “general fitness.” Then progress to hypertrophy, then strength then to sport specific training. I would suggest in addition to general fitness that you have an assessment done to establish a structure and fitness baseline.

The assessment should include:

• Pull-ups
• Push-up
• Sit-ups
• Hear rate (resting and est. peak)
• Aerobic threshold
• 400 meter run
• Functional movement
• Static structural assessment (to check for any misalignments)

Then a good coach can design a routine exactly for you based on your results. The key in designing a program is to understand exactly where want to be and by when.

If the goal is realistic, the program would be designed to progressively move you through all the periodization stages and “peak” at your specified date.

If you’d like more info on what to look for in a coach or program (http://warriorfitnesstraining.com)…just ask.

[kungfu_kyle]

The basic principles of periodization have a person starting with “general fitness.” Then progress to hypertrophy, then strength then to sport specific training. I would suggest in addition to general fitness that you have an assessment done to establish a structure and fitness baseline.

The assessment should include:

• Pull-ups
• Push-up
• Sit-ups
• Hear rate (resting and est. peak)
• Aerobic threshold
• 400 meter run
• Functional movement
• Static structural assessment (to check for any misalignments)

Then a good coach can design a routine exactly for you based on your results. The key in designing a program is to understand exactly where want to be and by when.

If the goal is realistic, the program would be designed to progressively move you through all the periodization stages and “peak” at your specified date.

If you’d like more info on what to look for in a coach or program (http://warriorfitnesstraining.com)…just ask.

I agree, although my assessment process is slightly different (although by the sounds of it built on the same principles), you need a coach that can actually provide you with a structured programme based on your needs.

A good coach should be able to work with you regardless of your level, and should have specific relevant experience in the field you are loking for. in this case combative arts : )

here are some signs to be wary of to help you spot a cowboy:

- anyone who tells you they can get you ANY result. a good coach will specialise, not generalise
- anyone who skips a thorough assessment process (this includes kinetic chain and movement function etc). if you aren't assessing, then you're guessing
- anyone who doesn't address your diet- what you put in to your body is essential, you can't just 'burn off' junk. C.R.A.P principle = Completley Rubbish And Pointless
- Anyone that just promotes old school body building routines and splits. There is a difference between wave loading and split routines
-Anyone who just stands by and watches you on a treadmill! That is not coaching!

Good luck in your search!

: )

[kungfu_kyle]

Thanks, that's good. I think I needed a place to start - a point of reference to build from. I'll give it a go.

A question about the circuit: is it a good idea to vary the order in which I perform the exercises? I've read something somewhere about doing this to prevent the body getting into a rhythm or getting too used to a set number of exercises in a set order. Does this really matter that much? Can an irregular routine enhance the workout by making your body adapt to a new situation each time?


Yes this is an issue as your body will begin to adapt quite quickly, but that's not to say you shouldn't ever repeat exercises or workouts. I usually counter this by wave loading and training with different workouts on each day, but still in a structured and periodised way.

There's a good old saying that it's insanity to do the same things and expect different results!

Having said that, there are certain things I actually encourage people to do daily to help the healing and recovery process (this is usually in the form of basic yoga or chi gung).

Variety is important, but it's also important to master the basics and progress at the appropriate level. As long as you vary it regularly and factor in your recovery you should progress well. Repeating workouts in the short term won't do you any harm, it just may not progress you as quickly- but again it has to be functional to what you are training for : )

If you don't have a coach I suggest you look for a good one so that you can surpass your limitation. Until then, stick to what you know

[slipthejab]

Sometimes I have to laugh... it takes scientists and peer-reviewed journals to find out what we've known in boxing and Muay Thai for close to a century now.

While it's nice to know that it's being scrutinized under a microscope... and applied to the common man... it still just blows me away that people have such a hard time figuring it out.

Then again they are barraged on all sides by fitness industry crap and incessant bombardment to look like the next Calvin Klein model... yet never given the tools to get there.

Integration over isolation. A motto to live by. Keep it varied... keep it up and down the scale of anaerobic to aerobic and you can't go wrong.