My All-Time Favorite Interval Workout
It’s been quite some time since I shared a cardio workout on the blog.
Today, I wanted to revisit one of the first workouts I ever posted close to three years ago (the very beginning stages!), that readers will still mention and tag me in their post-workout photos. I love that!
Interval workouts are great to kick your normal cardio routine up a notch. When I resort to running on the treadmill, I often turn to interval workouts to eliminate boredom and really push myself. Generally, I’ll throw an interval workout into my running routine every two or three runs, all the while changing the level of intensities to avoid plateauing.
It’s important, however, to also realize that interval training is not for everyone. It’s hard on your body and requires you to be pretty conditioned (in shape) in order to be able to recover at a healthy pace and without injury. If you have any heart or circulation issues, you should probably skip over this one.
Since looking at that old image and post makes me cringe, I wanted to update it with the new blog watermark and reintroduce it to the newer readers. It really is my all-time favorite interval workout I have been turning to for years!
If you ever have any questions about what kind of intensity is right for you, consult a personal trainer, a fitness professional, or email me directly. Additionally, I always recommend you talking to your doctor before starting any new kind of exercise routine!
Minute On, Minute Off Interval Sprints Workout
Keep in mind that every treadmill is different, as are the levels of incline and sometimes what a level of m.p.h. feels like. When following this workout, be conscious of what feels good for you, and modify the levels as needed.
Before you even start this workout, you need to be very comfortable running on a treadmill. I created this workout on a treadmill that went up to an incline level of 15 or higher! (I honestly can’t remember back that far.) If inclines scare you, please modify.
The “rest” minutes mean you are literally resting to catch your breath on the sides of the treadmill. While keeping a tight grip on the handles, split your feet to the sides of the treadmill and make sure to grab the handles again before trying to jump back on.
There’s definitely an art to treadmill sprinting while jumping on and off of it, so I would suggest doing a couple of practice “rest” minutes at no incline and at a low speed until you feel one hundred percent comfortable!
As silly as it might seem, I really miss the treadmill. Since I don’t currently have access to one, I will occasionally take these intervals outside. Obviously, I can’t control the inclines, but I can control my speeds. Every now and then, I’ll tackle a set of hills to substitute for inclines!
I’ll follow the minutes and complete a warm-up walk, jog, then increase my running speed until it feels like a sprint. Once I get there, I sprint for a minute and then walk for a minute ten times. Just like the workout explains, follow up with a cool down jog, then walk.
If you have access to one, use a timer and/or a heart-rate monitor to time and pace your intervals.
I personally love interval workouts on cardio machines. In my opinion, it makes the workout go by ten times faster!
Fill up your water bottle, put on a good playlist, and before you know it, you’re already cooling down in a pile of sweat. Happy Sprinting!
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