Advantages and Disadvantages of Interval Training

Is your personal trainer thinking about starting an exercise routine for you? If that is so, it may be really good news for you. In case you are wondering why, you probably have very little idea about fitness training and particularly interval training. Read on if you want to know what are pros and cons of this type of workout.

Unless you know what to expect from interval training you cannot go ahead with confidence. Your personal trainer will obviously keep enlightening you about the intricate details of interval training as you progress but, for starters you should also have a fair idea. So then what are the advantages of this training method?

1. Your overall fitness and level of performance during exercise can improve a lot with interval training and that too within a period of a few weeks. So, as you progress you are bale to get more benefits out of every minute that you exercise. Some athletes have gained an increase in speed after just two interval training sessions!

2. Recovery is a key contributor to the success of your fitness program. Unless your body is able to get back to its normal state quickly after every exercise session, you are not ready for the next session. And exercising when your body is not prepared can result in zero benefits and injury. Interval training helps reduce this recovery period to a minimum.
This is why, athletes, who have very little time to recover after a strenuous action, vouch for interval training and its benefits. Without exercise they would require a lot of time to recover and would never be able to excel at their particular sport.

3. Scientific research has proved beyond doubt that this type of training is more effective than aerobics in improving your fitness. This means that doing it for 45 minutes can give you more fitness benefits than doing aerobics for the same amount of time. This happens because:
The activity of enzymes increases thus allowing you to use oxygen more efficiently.
You use up stored glucose and fat much faster.
Your capacity for oxygen intake increases.
Your endurance increases.

So the bottom line is that interval sessions are usually tough, but if you can do them, there’s nothing as beneficial. However, you must also keep the following probable disadvantages in mind.

1. Because it is so tough on your body, it increases the risk of overtraining more than most other exercises. And as you might know, overtraining is something you must avoid at all costs.

2. You can but should not experiment with several intervals at a time. It can be a tempting prospect but you should hold back, in order to give your body ample rest to recover.

3. Most of these routines require you to consult a doctor for a green flag. Your personal trainer might not want to take the risks of exposing you to this training without knowing whether you are up to the task at all.

Take these pros and cons into account and you will surely get the best out of interval training!