Intervals-Reader Question
Sunday, February 8, 2009
As I posted Friday, intervals are a great way to blast fat & burn more calories. I got a reader question that I thought I would post & answer since some of you may have had the same issue as this reader. The question to me was:
"I have a question about doing intervals. I tried to follow a plan very similar to the one in the article on yahoo health but was frustrated. I was using a treadmill and the lag time to change the incline (I also upped the speed but did not want to run fast as it is hard on older knees) is so great that it seems that about 1/2 of the interval time is spent in the changeover.So should I be starting my "timer" after the treadmill gets up to its new level.I ended up not feeling very much of a workout so I must have been going at it wrong. Any suggestions? "
Well, first, there was a misunderstanding by of the Yahoo Health article & I can actually see why because I had to read it twice before I got it. The "levels" they discuss in the article are not incline levels on the treadmill but are levels of perceived exertion with 1 being the easiest and 10 being the hardest. Perceived exertion is the feeling of how hard you are working at that time vs. if you were to calculate it with an online tool that tells you what your target heart rate should be in beats per minute for your age. See a target heart rate calculator at this link from The Diet Detective: Heart Rate Calculator
I use rate of perceived exertion for myself since I am in much better shape for my age than the normal person so I can work at a higher level than the average woman at my age. The target heart rate calculator would show a rate that would not work me hard enough.
Now, let's say you are using inclines & declines as part of your interval training. Why not use the time for the treadmill to incline or decline as part of your recovery period. For example, if you are doing a sprint on a flat or lower level, once you finish that sprint, reduce the speed to the recommended exertion level as you incline to a higher level (and if necessary, reduce the speed as you incline to keep at that recovery exertion level) before doing another sprint at the higher incline per the recommended exertion level. Now, vice versa, if you are doing the higher exertion level at the increased incline, use the time it takes the treadmill to decline as your recovery per the recommended exertion level.
I sure hope this helps and if not or I have confused you more, please write again!
You can also email me directly at Jody@truth2beingfit.com
Thx for reading my blog!
As I posted Friday, intervals are a great way to blast fat & burn more calories. I got a reader question that I thought I would post & answer since some of you may have had the same issue as this reader. The question to me was:"I have a question about doing intervals. I tried to follow a plan very similar to the one in the article on yahoo health but was frustrated. I was using a treadmill and the lag time to change the incline (I also upped the speed but did not want to run fast as it is hard on older knees) is so great that it seems that about 1/2 of the interval time is spent in the changeover.So should I be starting my "timer" after the treadmill gets up to its new level.I ended up not feeling very much of a workout so I must have been going at it wrong. Any suggestions? "
Well, first, there was a misunderstanding by of the Yahoo Health article & I can actually see why because I had to read it twice before I got it. The "levels" they discuss in the article are not incline levels on the treadmill but are levels of perceived exertion with 1 being the easiest and 10 being the hardest. Perceived exertion is the feeling of how hard you are working at that time vs. if you were to calculate it with an online tool that tells you what your target heart rate should be in beats per minute for your age. See a target heart rate calculator at this link from The Diet Detective: Heart Rate Calculator
I use rate of perceived exertion for myself since I am in much better shape for my age than the normal person so I can work at a higher level than the average woman at my age. The target heart rate calculator would show a rate that would not work me hard enough.
Now, let's say you are using inclines & declines as part of your interval training. Why not use the time for the treadmill to incline or decline as part of your recovery period. For example, if you are doing a sprint on a flat or lower level, once you finish that sprint, reduce the speed to the recommended exertion level as you incline to a higher level (and if necessary, reduce the speed as you incline to keep at that recovery exertion level) before doing another sprint at the higher incline per the recommended exertion level. Now, vice versa, if you are doing the higher exertion level at the increased incline, use the time it takes the treadmill to decline as your recovery per the recommended exertion level.
I sure hope this helps and if not or I have confused you more, please write again!
You can also email me directly at Jody@truth2beingfit.com
Thx for reading my blog!
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