The Body is a Wonderland...

The benefits of interval training don’t stop at torching calories and burning more fat. Intervals are also an effective tool for increasing lactate threshold, the exercise intensity at which lactate begins to accumulate in the bloodstream, a success-determining factor for distance runners and cyclists, says Tom Kelso, strength and conditioning specialist for the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department and the author of The Interval Training Manual: 520+ Interval Running Workouts for All Sports and Abilities.

During anaerobic exercise, when the bloodstream can’t supply oxygen to muscles fast enough, muscles turn to glycogen for backup fuel. When glycogen breaks down, the by-product is lactic acid, which can cause muscle soreness and fatigue once it hits the bloodstream. In a way, interval training tricks the system. It allows the body to alternate between exceeding its lactate threshold and recovering, all the while working below lactate threshold and sidestepping the negative side effects of lactic acid buildup.

Chances are, if you run or cycle, you’re probably already doing some form of interval training without even realizing it, says Raffle. Running or peddling uphill raises your heart rate, while downhill portions of your workout allow your heart rate to lower again.

The classic interval training technique used for increasing speed is known as the fartlek, which is Swedish for “speed play.” Raffle provides this sample routine:

Following a 5- to 10-minute warm-up, increase speed so that you are running at 80% of your maximum heart rate and run for 1 to 2 minutes.

Recover with 1 to 2 minutes of running at 65% of your maximum heart rate.

Alternate high- and low-intensity intervals for a minimum of 20 to 30 minutes.

End with a 5- to 10-minute cooldown.

Keep in mind that periodization is important to interval training, notes Raffle. For example, after 2 weeks of practicing 2 minutes on, 2 minutes off intervals, your body will adapt to the routine (and you might be getting bored, too). Mix things up by switching to 1 minute on, 1 minute off or 3 minutes on, 3 minutes off intervals, advises Raffle.

Or build on a standard interval training model by structuring your running or cycling workout as a pyramid, starting and ending with short bursts of speed and peaking with longer bursts of speed midworkout. Here’s an example:

3- to 5-minute warm-up
30 seconds at high intensity, 1 minute recovery
45 seconds at high intensity, 1 minute recovery
60 seconds at high intensity, 1 minute recovery
90 seconds at high intensity, 1 minute recovery
60 seconds at high intensity, 1 minute recovery
45 seconds at high intensity, 1 minute recovery
30 seconds at high intensity
3- to 5-minute cooldown

“The whole idea is to be progressive. When you repeat a previous workout, you want to feel like you’ve improved,” says Kelso, who suggests increasing work effort or repetitions and/or decreasing rest intervals to make your routine more challenging.

latimes:

He will run 26.2 miles in L.A. and not see it: Christian Alvarado, who is blind, will rely on his guide, training and instincts in the L.A. Marathon on Sunday. He took up running, though he didn’t like it, to prove a disability couldn’t stop him.

Photo: Tania Gongora, left, guides Christian Alvarado, who is blind, during a run around the Sepulveda Basin Recreation Area while training for the upcoming Los Angeles Marathon. Credit: Rick Loomis / Los Angeles Times

(Source: Los Angeles Times)