Losing Weight With Interval Training

When you are trying to lose weight you don't need me to tell you that you must engage in some form of cardio training. The fact remains that some type of cardio is going to be necessary if you want to lose weight. Another fact is that cardio training can become pretty boring fairly quickly. It might be ok when you first start out, you may begin by using an exercise bike, and initially you may only do 10 to 15 minutes. However after a couple of months your ability to exercise for longer will increase and you could be capable of doing 30, 45 or 60 minutes on the bike. The boredom really starts to set in when you need to spend long periods of time on cardio exercise.

Not only does it get tedious, we also live in a world where time is often hard to come by, so the thought of spending an hour or two doing cardio is enough to make us flinch at the thought. This often leads to many giving up exercise, simply because they don't have the time. Now there is a method where you can not only decrease the time you spend on cardio, but dramatically increase the results that you get from it. This method is called interval training, and anything that is going to save you time and enable you to get better results is definitely worth having a go.

Interval training means that you don't exercise at the same intensity for the complete workout. It means that you work at different speeds during your workout. Now there are a number of cardio workouts that you can do with or without equipment. However let us stick with the example of using an exercise bike. Say you spend 30 minutes on an exercise bike going at the same pace; it is only a matter of time before you will have to extend that time again and again if you want to keep getting results. This is because your body can adapt fairly quickly to what you are doing.

With interval training you will warm up on the bike going at a steady pace for about 5 minutes. After those 5 minutes are up speed up the pace by going as fast as you can for 60 seconds. After you have done this go back to your normal pace for 2 minutes. Once the 2 minutes are up, repeat the process again and again until you have been on the bike for 20 minutes.

This type if training not only saves you time and gives you better results, it also prevents your body from adapting too quickly to what you are doing. As this type if training gets easier to cope with, you still won't have to go over 25 minutes. All you need to do is to keep increasing the pace and intensity.

Try doing 90 seconds at a fast pace and 90 seconds at a normal pace. You can even do 2 minutes at a fast pace and a minute at normal pace. There are so many variations and as you become fitter and leaner you simply keep increasing the intensity, but without increasing the time. Nobody really wants to spend an hour or more a day on cardio. However anybody can find 25 minutes out of their day to look after themselves. This type of workout makes you work pretty hard, and it is only by keeping your body working hard that you are going to get the results that you want.

Try doing this type of training every other day, as this gives you a chance to get used to exercising in this way. After a few weeks when you feel that you are ready, you can do it every day. You won't believe how quickly your fitness will improve and how many calories you will start burning. If weight loss is your goal and you don't have much time to achieve that goal, then interval training is for you.

Interval training can be used for virtually any cardio exercise. You choose whether you want to use a stationary bike, a real bike, running, swimming or just use a skipping rope. This is a great method for losing weight without the boredom that comes with long cardio workouts. The fact remains that that there is very little out there that can be better than losing weight with interval training.