No matter your running experience or goals, interval training should be part of your routine. Run a short distance fast and ease off a bit to recover. Repeat. Interval training boils down to this simple formula — and offers runners a path to continuous improvement.
Interval training will improve your fitness level faster than any other type of running. You can endure more of them by giving yourself time to rest between fast runs, providing a greater stimulus to your heart, lungs, and muscles.
Despite the reputation of fast running for injury, a study found that half marathoners who used intervals in their training were less likely to get injured than those who didn’t. Running form can improve with faster paces.
Short, intense workouts can teach your body to run more efficiently if you start with a good fitness level and give yourself enough time to rest between hard runs.
Interval running is the highest muscle-building training involving alternating faster running, acceleration (sprinting distance), and slower jogging (recovery intervals).
High-intensity intervals increase anaerobic performance that cannot be achieved through traditional training, which is why it is so important to incorporate them into your training plan.
Benefits of Interval Training
Interval training aims to develop speed and aerobic and lactate endurance, improve running results, and increase strength, power, economy, mind-body coordination, motivation, and fat-burning.
The foundation of speed is running fast. When we sprint or run at speeds close to our sprint speed, we teach our body to use more fast-twitch muscle fibers, strain our central nervous system, and learn to run with better mechanics.
- Interval running.
- Teaches the body speed.
- Shifts the oxidation threshold (i.e. increases the time it takes to run without fatigue)
- Brings you to peak athletic performance.
- Leads to an increase in maximum oxygen consumption.
- Increasing anaerobic performance.
Burns More Calories
Burns more calories than steady-state workouts. While there is limited research on this topic, a study published in the Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research found that participants burned more calories during a HIIT workout than spent the same amount of time on continuous exercise.
Adds Variety to Your Workouts
It can break up a long workout session and make it more enjoyable, introducing variety to your routine instead of repeating the same exercise.
For instance, if your client is training for their first 10km run, they likely will want to spend less than an hour on the treadmill at a steady pace. While this is good practice for race day, it can quickly become monotonous.
You can keep their training sessions exciting and mentally engaging by incorporating intervals at different paces, inclines, and durations.
Is a Time-Efficient Way to Workout?
It allows runners to burn more calories in less time. The study demonstrated that participants burned more calories during HIIT workouts than steady-state exercise, even though they spent less time working out.
HIIT sessions are typically short, lasting twenty to thirty minutes, excluding warm-up and cool-down periods. Due to their high intensity, these workouts get the body working hard, enabling clients to reap the benefits of shorter sessions without spending hours in the gym.
Can Help Reduce Risks of Injury
Injuries from overtraining are all too common among endurance athletes and beginners who push themselves too hard, too soon.
Interval training can help your clients avoid injuries related to repetitive overuse. Instead of running nonstop, they’ll alternate between walking and running, for instance, varying their movements and intensity.
Interval Running Technique
The Essence of Interval Running
Interval running involves alternating between different intensities: segments in the anaerobic zone (fast) and rest in the recovery zone (slow). Essentially, these are a series of peaks and valleys—you push yourself hard at the peaks, then slow down and recover at the valleys.
Length of segments
How long and fast you do interval segments depends mostly on your fitness level, individual body characteristics, and training goals. In general, segments range from 200 m to 1600 m. Beginners are advised to start with shorter segments with moderate effort.
Speed of segments during interval training
Intervals should be performed at a speed equal to 80-90 percent of your power. You can jog between intervals to recover.
This helps to utilize lactic acid and keeps muscles elastic, which is useful for preparing for the next intense segment. Active recovery reduces lactic acid in muscles many times faster than passive rest.
Pulse
When doing interval training, it is important to focus on the pulse so that the load has a positive effect. The heart rate in fast segments reaches 170-175 beats per minute, and in slow ones – 120-130 beats/min.
Types of Interval Training
Creating the proper interval training routine can be either advanced or simple. Top athletes might get blood lactate or exercise metabolism tests in a sports lab to make the best interval training plan. Meanwhile, casual runners can do “speed play” interval training (fartlek) without strict timing.
There are several common types of interval training. You can choose different techniques depending on your client’s goals and workout style.
Tempo Intervals
Are performed at a half-marathon or marathon pace with a heart rate of approximately 160-170 bpm. Such intervals accustom you to your race pace.
Examples:
- 1000 (1200) m after 200 m jogging — 3-6 times.
- 1500 (1600) m after 400 m jogging — 4-5 times.
- 2000 m after 400 meters jogging — 3-4 times.
- 3000 meters after 400 meters jogging — 2-3 times.
Standard Intervals - Repeated Running
The fast to slow pace ratio is 1 to 2 or 1 to 3.
Intervals from 200 m to 1000 meters (by distance) or 30 sec to 4 min (by time).
Pulse during intervals reaches the 4th zone (170-180 bpm on average) / rest from 200 to 1000 meters of jogging (or walking for beginners) at maximum recovery so that the pulse drops to 120-130 bpm.
Repeated Intervals with Full Recovery
Interval sprint and medium segments
Develop speed for distances from 3 to 10 km. The pulse during the interval is approximately 175 bpm, and the rest is incomplete recovery; the pulse drops to 135-140 bpm.
Examples:
- Segments from 100 to 1000 meters.
- 10 times 200 meters every 200 meters
- 8 times 400 meters every 400 meters
- 5 times 1000 meters every 400 meters
- In this type of work, the maximum rest is 400 meters.
Warming Up and Cooling Down for Interval Running Training
Warming up and cooling down are important in interval running. They help prepare the body for physical activity and prevent injuries.
In general, to conduct the training, you need to:
- Do an effective warm-up.
- Run slowly for 5-10 minutes, stretch, exercise to improve muscle flexibility and mobility, and warm up.
- Do interval work, alternating acceleration, and jogging.
- Do a cool-down. Run slowly for 5-7 minutes to cool down. Then, do exercises to stretch muscles and relax.
How Fast Should You Run Each Interval?
During an interval session, start with a thorough warm-up. Then, run at a high-intensity level for a set time or distance, followed by a jogging or brisk walking recovery period.
Repeat this cycle until the session ends, and finish with a gentle cool-down walk or jog.
Judging Your Pace
Your pace depends on your fitness level, session type, and training goals. Shorter intervals usually mean higher speeds or intensities, while longer intervals might be more useful for longer races.
One easy way to measure your pace is the rate of perceived exertion (RPE) scale:
- 1-2: Very light intensity
- 9-10: Maximum intensity
When starting:
- For short intervals (30 seconds to 1 minute), aim for an RPE of 8 or 9. Your recovery intervals should be around 2 to 3 light intensity.
- For longer intervals (around 2 minutes), aim for an RPE of 6 to 7.
Using the Talk Test
To check if you’re pushing hard enough, use the talk test:
- If you can only say a word or two, you’re at an 8 to 9-intensity pace.
- If you can say three to four words, you’re at a 6 to 7-intensity pace.
Consistency is Key
Aim to run your final interval at the same pace as your first. Consistent pacing is better training than going all out in the first rep and slowing down in each subsequent one.
Finishing strong boosts both fitness and confidence. Many top coaches prefer their athletes to end sessions feeling like they could do one more rep rather than being completely spent.
How Often Should You Do Interval Training?
Interval training can greatly improve your race times, but it’s important to remember that these sessions are intense. Your bones, tendons, and muscles need time to adapt to the stresses of regular training.
Starting Out
When beginning interval training, start with once a week. This will help prevent overloading your muscles and tendons, reducing the risk of injury. Proper rest is crucial to getting the most out of your sessions.
Increasing Frequency
As you get used to interval training, you can gradually add more sessions to your schedule. However, avoid doing two hard sessions on consecutive days.
Always allow at least one easy day between intense workouts.
Most runners benefit from two or three easy days between hard sessions to ensure proper recovery and optimal performance.
