Running - using Interval training to get lean

For those who spend hours upon hours doing long amounts of cardio in a bid to lose weight and get lean, long cardio sessions are not the best way to get rid of body fat!

The best way to burn fat quickly whilst maintaining lean muscle is short intense interval training sessions.  High intensity interval training is cardio that involves alternating segments of high intensity training, where you push as hard as you can, followed by a recovery period. 

I would suggest 20 minute interval sessions, this is in contrast to the more steady state, lower intensity longer cardio sessions.  I find running the best form of cardio for this, as it’s hard to get the intensity as high as you need on an elliptical trainer or stationary bike.

So you may be wondering how a shorter workout is better for you than a longer one.  This is because the total number of calories being burned per minute is much higher than at a lower intensity.  And it’s not only during your workout that you’ll be incinerating fat, the more intense the exercise the more and longer your post metabolic rate is elevated and the more calories burned.  Even while you are sat there on the couch recovering from your workout!

High intensity interval training has many benefits, it increases the rate at which you burn calories throughout the day turning you into a fat burning machine!  It’s also awesome for your aerobic and anaerobic conditioning and because it only lasts 20 minutes your body is less likely to go into a catabolic state, where your body starts to break down muscle for energy.

With interval training you’ll lose more fat and keep the muscle that gives you that lean hard body you are after!  For an example of this look at a sprinters body versus a marathon runners body, sprinters are very lean with good muscular definition where as marathon runners are very thin with little muscle and higher body fat percentages.

You must be willing to push yourself but it’s only for 20 minutes and the results are more than worth it. Interval training is the most effective and efficient way to burn the most calories and stay lean!