Interval Running for Weight Loss (Training Plan!)

Do you want to lose weight, to give your body an excellent workout, strengthen your muscles and cardiovascular system, and develop endurance? Quickly achieving these goals can be done with the help of interval running. I offer two plans of training – for beginners and advanced runners.

What is Interval Running?

Interval Running – is one of the best solutions for weight loss and the development of endurance. The essence is in the alternation of load modes: one segment of the route you run in a calm pace, the next accelerate, as much as possible. Not only do professional athletes preparing for marathons and competitions train like this, but also lovers of running like myself.

Why Do We Need an Interval Running?

Interval running has several advantages over a simple run with constant speed. This is true from the point of view of sporting achievements, and from the point of view of fitness.

– This is the most effective way to learn to run faster, improving the results at any distance – from sprinting 60 meters to running a marathon. Depending on the distance you are preparing for, the length of the intervals and the speed will vary.

– Interval running allows you to burn more calories than a steady one. During acceleration (intensive interval) energy consumption increases by almost half, and thus at the stage of rest it is not immediately reduced.

– The unusual load (acceleration) – is a certain stress for the muscles and other body systems. It is not big enough in order to cause harm. But after such a hard workout, the muscles consume calories to recover, pulling them out from our body’s fat stores. In other words, interval running speeds up metabolism.

– Such a workout allows you to get rid of fat while maintaining muscle mass and even slightly increasing it. To do this, the sprint intervals (acceleration at intervals from 50 to 400 m) are particularly good.

Who Can Use Interval Running?

Acceleration – a serious load on the heart and blood vessels as well as on the muscles and joints. Therefore, interval running is not recommended for beginners. You can move to it not earlier than in six months of regular jogging. There is another criterion before the practice of acceleration, your comfortable speed of jogging 5-10 km should be at least 6:30 / km – “six minutes and thirty seconds per kilometer” (that is you have to be able to comfortably run 1 kilometer in 6 minutes and 30 seconds, not slower).

If the above is you, then the interval running will be very useful to you in two cases:

1. If you want to to learn to run faster.
2. If you want to “sculpt” a figure to make it more attractive (in this case you will have to follow the diet: to reduce caloric intake by 200-300 kcal per day and increase the amount of protein to 1.8-2 grams per kilogram of body weight).

This work out should be carried out once every 1-2 weeks, other days it is better to practice quiet, standard jogging or practicing other kinds of fitness.

Since during the interval sessions you have to run faster, it will be slightly shorter than the standard jogging. For those who are new to interval running, standard time – 30-40 minutes, and the high-speed work takes 20-25 minutes. The workout can be extended by slowly jogging before and after. You will be able to increase the distance and the number of speed intervals only when the body gets used to it, that is not earlier than in 2-3 months.

Who Can Not Use the Interval Running?

Of course there are a lot of restrictions, as it is quite a heavy load. Excess weight more than 7 kg/ 15 lbs, cardiovascular disease, muscle injury, spinal diseases, exacerbation of osteoarthritis and degenerative disc disease, even flat feet — all of the above are reasons to postpone this workout until better times, or even forget about it, in principle.

The Principles of Interval Running

We start with the traditional warm-up (jogging) for 5-15 minutes. Then we begin to alternate intervals. In the run they are considered in two ways.

According to the distance. It is suitable for those who run in a stadium or in a small circle with a certain length as well as the owners of a GPS-heart rate monitor or application in your phone. Workout in this case should look like this : a warm-up; acceleration – 1 lap, rest – 2 laps; acceleration – 2 laps, rest – 1 lap; acceleration – 2 laps, rest – 2 laps; acceleration – 1 lap, rest – 2 laps; hitch.

If the distance is known (taking into account that length of a treadmill of a standard stadium is 400 m, and a school one is from 230 to 350 m), then this option of workouts  is possible: warm-up; acceleration – 400 m, rest – 800 m; acceleration – 800 m, rest – 400 m; acceleration – 800 m,  rest – 800 m; acceleration – 400 m, rest – 800 m; hitch.

Note that this is the same exercise, only in the second case it is considered for the standard stadium 400 m. Here the alternation of “1 lap  – 2 laps” absolutely is not mandatory. At each interval a different number of laps can be: for example, the acceleration – 3 laps, and the rest – only 1 lap. This is determined by the coach depending on the level of your training and goals.

According to the time. This is convenient for those who are running around the park with a clock, but they have no idea about the length of the route and do not want to bother with measurements. In general, in this case, the training is based according to the same scheme, but instead of meters, minutes or seconds are taken into account. For example, a warm-up; acceleration – 1 minute, rest – 2 minutes; acceleration – 2 minutes, rest – 3 minutes; acceleration – 3 minutes, rest – 3 minutes; acceleration – 2 minutes, rest – 1 minute; acceleration – 1 minute, rest – 1 minute; hitch.

In all instances, if you have noticed, the training is based on the principle of the pyramid: the  acceleration is extended to the middle and is shortened to the end of the lesson. Accordingly, the duration of the rest is being changed. In the middle of the training rest time may be the same as the acceleration or shorter. The last option is for very advanced athletes, we do not offer you such a workout.

Interval Running for Those Who Do Not Like to Count

To complete the picture we should mention another kind of interval run – fartlek (translated from Swedish – “play at a speed”). If any programs are not developed for this type of workout: you decide that you will do 5, 10, or any number of accelerations. When the soul asks – you accelerate and when you get bored, you slow down and relax.

But fartlek has its own nuances.

– It will not be suitable for the lazy and those who find it difficult to force yourself to accelerate without a clear workout plan.

– Inexperienced runners can not calculate the forces, and go all out on the first acceleration so that the training would be completed, having barely begun.

– Areas which abounds in hills and descents are good for jogging. However, programs counted by minutes, or meters, can be unsuitable: you need to relax, and then do just the descent. Or vice versa: it is necessary to accelerate and there are no forces to climb up the hill. Fartlek allows you to choose where to accelerate, and where take a rest.

Now when everything is clear with the theory, we offer you two interval running programs. One of them is intended for less experienced runners, so the speed is not specified. The indicator that you are really accelerated, is the pulse, well, for those who do not have a heart rate monitor, – physical sensations (the table indicats which ones). The second program is for the more advanced, so criteria of load is the pulse and /r speed. Both programs can be used on the street and on the racetrack in the gym.

Interval Running for Beginners

Distances of intervals are indicated in meters and minutes to choose from. Use the first or second option, but not both! The total length of the run without a hitch – 4 km, of which 1.2 km run faster (if you are running according to time, distance will vary slightly). If there are no forces to run during the intervals of rest, go for a quick walk, at the same time be sure to move your hands, as when running, do not lower them.

Memo to training (it is better to print or to write down and take this with you): warm up 800 m (or 10 min.) – 2 times with 200 m with 400 meters rest between them, (or 1 min after rest for 3 minutes.) – 1 time with 400 m after the rest of 400 m (or 2 minutes after rest for 3 minutes. ) – 2 times with 200 m with 400 meters rest between them (or 1 minute rest after 3 min.) – hitch 5-10 minutes.

Interval Running For the Experienced

All that is written in the explanation to the previous workout is appropriate for this one. The total length of the run without a hitch – 5.8 km, including 2.8 km of fast running (if you are running according to time, distance will vary slightly). It will be suitable for those who have running experience of at least 1 year.

Memo to workout: warm up 1 km (or about 10 min.) – 400m, rest 400 m (or 3 minutes, rest 3 minutes.) – 600 m, rest 400 meters (or 3 minutes, rest 3 minutes.) – 800 m, rest 400 m (or 4 minutes, rest 3 minutes.) – 600 m, rest 400 meters (or 3 minutes, rest 3 minutes..) – 400 m, rest 400 meters (or 3 minutes, rest 3 min.). – hitch for 10-15 minutes.

Pay attention to your well-being, track your feeling, in order not to overwork yourself and not to harm the cardiovascular system, muscles, ligaments and desire to continue training. Follow an integrated approach: dosed physical exertion, moderate rational nutrition and proper sleep. Then the interval running will help you to quickly get in shape and stay that way!