Interval Training Benefits

Intervals are not just for athletes and hard bodies. According to Tim Church of the Pennington Biomedical Research Institute in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, “the benefit of interval training is that it’s a very efficient way to increase your fitness quickly”. The goal with most interval training programs is to increase the heart rate to about 80% of maximum oxygen consumption for short periods of time, followed by a recovery period when the decreased pace of activity allows the heart rate to slow down.

According to Church, some preliminary studies suggest that there are increased benefits when adding intervals to the steady, moderately paced, programs practiced by some people with diabetes and other chronic diseases. For example, the exercise Biology Laboratory at Pennington Biomedical Research Center found that the people (up to age 75) they worked with appeared to benefit from adding interval training into their routines. In their July 2009 issue they stated: “Recent reports demonstrate that interval training is effective in the elderly and patients with peripheral artery disease, intermittent claudication, coronary artery disease, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, and type 2 diabetes mellitus.”

Talk with your doctor and see if you are a candidate for interval training.