It really bothers me when people say they “don’t have time” to exercise.  Yes, we all have responsibilities to our jobs and families, but if the leader of the free world can fit 90 minutes of exercise into his day, so can a CEO, a mother of three, or anyone else whose schedule is packed to the gills.  It’s all about priorities.

So while I don’t buy the suggestion that people “don’t have time” to exercise, you can still get a full body workout in half the time.

It’s accomplished through something called interval training, a high-intensity workout session that’s very demanding, but very effective.

Interval training is an apt description for this kind of exercise because you exercise in “intervals,” or designated lengths of time, exerting a lot of effort in some intervals, and then dialing it back in other intervals.  The intervals that require extensive effort are the “work” intervals; the other intervals are called “rest” intervals.

Interval training can be done anywhere and on anything.  On a treadmill, for example, interval training can be broken up into minutes or seconds.  For example, during the work intervals, you’d run for four minutes (hard enough so that you’re breathing hard, but not so hard that you can’t speak if someone were to ask you a question while you were running), and then dial it back for three minutes during the rest interval (maintaining a steady pace, but not breathing as hard or exerting as much effort).

You repeat this process over a 20 to 30 minute period.  Intervals can be shorter than this, just as long as the work intervals are slightly longer than the rest intervals (e.g. 20 seconds of rest, 30 seconds of work, 20 seconds of rest, 30 seconds of work…).

Interval training can be done with weights as well.  During the “work” intervals, you add enough weight so it’s difficult to lift something more than six to eight times.  During the “rest” intervals, you should be able to pull, push, or curl a weight 10 to 12 times.  This is often called “pyramiding” (e.g. three sets of bench press, 12 repetitions in the first set, 10 repetitions in the second set, eight repetitions in the third).

Experts say that interval training works because it’s a process that’s constantly “tricking” the body.  In order for the body to gain muscle mass or increase endurance, it needs to be in a consistent state of flux or adjustment.  When the body is physically taxed, it causes muscle fibers to work harder and break down.  That break down is bad if it’s constantly being taxed, but intermittent rest stages gives the body the time it needs to recuperate.

The best part of interval training?  Despite training for a shorter period of time, you burn more calories in the long run.  Studies by the American College of Sports Medicine (et al) show that high intensity exercise sessions performed over 20 minutes burn more calories than low intensity exercise sessions performed over 60 minutes.

What’s more, you wind up burning more calories over the entire day because the body is building new muscle.  And as we know, the more muscle you have, the more calories that are burned.

So if time is not something you have a whole lot of these days, give interval training a try.  But before you do that, consult with a doctor to make sure you’re healthy enough to interval train.

Remember, while interval training is effective, it’s also demanding.  You may need to establish a certain level of fitness beforehand, if for no other reason than to avoid injury or risk of injury.

Sources
newsmaxhealth.com
washingtonpost.com
sportsmedicine.about.com