Interval Training for Maximum Weight Loss and Speed

If you have been running at your fitness level and have just become interested in developing speed, the first rule of thumb is to ease into it. Start with one speed workout a week unless you have a coach to supervise other workouts. Believe it or not, moderation is essential to speed training. You need to give both your body and mind, a chance to transition gradually to speed running. The basics of any speed training program is Intensity, Quantity and Recovery.

The Quantity principle deals with the number of intervals or repeat hard runs that you perform and over what distance. Pace yourself during this interval training to ensure you can complete all the fast runs. Set an achievable goal to start with, pat yourself on the back when completed, but do not beat yourself up if you don't. As you progress, decrease the length and increase the pace of your intervals. Intervals can be low or high intensity. The high intensity intervals are of course, more demanding on your body than the low intensity intervals. The high intensity intervals help you prepare for fast races like a 5K, while the low intensity ones prepare you for marathons. One example of an interval for a 5k race would be 2 miles of hard run followed by a rest. You can set your own interval time, repetitions and distance of training depending on your particular needs and fitness level.

Recovery, is the third of the basics. This deals with the resting period between hard runs. Your recovery period should allow your heart rate, body temperature and breathing to return to the level of a slow run or a walk. Resting does not mean lying at the side of the track or leaning against the nearest tree. You must keep moving either at a walk or slow run. Don't get too comfortable on the rest period or extend it way beyond what it should be, to do so would be to defeat the purpose. A simple example of hard run and recovery is: Run three one mile intervals, jog or walk 1/4 mile between intervals.

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