You have many reasons for including interval training as part of your overall training program.  An increase in muscle mass, heart rate recovery, speed, strength, power, post exercise caloric expenditure and lean muscle tissue are just some of the benefits, meaning an enhanced fitness level.  As an athlete, I have incorporated interval training in my fitness program throughout my entire athletic career.  Starting at the age of ten, I can remember doing an interval session once a week.  As my running career progressed, so too did the frequency, intensity, duration and volume of my interval workouts to achieve my higher goals.  The specific components of interval training are not obvious however.  When should one start?  How often should one do it?  At what level should it be done?  How long should the stress and recovery phases be for each repetition?  What distance should be covered?  To gain the maximum benefit from interval training, these questions need specific answers based on each individual’s goals and fitness level.

An interval training workout is one in which you alternate a period of hard work—the stress phase—with a period of easy work—the recovery phase.  You have a certain distance to cover in a set period of time in the stress phase, followed by a set period of time to ‘rest’ in the recovery phase.  Usually this type of training takes place at a track, so you will know how far you have run.
Interval training increases your aerobic capacity and heart rate recovery.  As your VO2 Max or maximum METS increases (see Murphy’s Mantra July 2003 article entitled “Knowing your METS”), you will be able to exercise at a higher heart rate without experiencing the pain of lactic acid accumulation in the muscles.  Interval training teaches your body to work at higher intensities for longer periods of time.  It also increases mitochondrial size and number.  The mitochondria is where oxidation takes place to utilize fuel sources, such as glycogen and fat.  Interval training also improves your pace judgment and your ability to concentrate, so you learn to focus your attention on the task at hand.

Your interval training workouts should be specific to your goals.  For example, I would recommend that an athlete who has a goal of running a marathon in five hours should train their body to do the following workout, assuming the athlete has the appropriate fitness level: 

Stress Phase - run 800 meters (one-half mile) at a pace of 4 minutes and 30 seconds (4:30)
Recovery Phase  - walk for 3 minutes and 30 seconds (3:30)
Complete the 6 repetitions of the stress and recovery phases

Once you begin interval training, here are a few things to keep in mind that will keep your program moving forward and achieving your goals:
Warm-up and cool down before and after all interval training workouts

Spend at least 15 minutes stretching before beginning intervals
Allow your body to recover before beginning the next stress interval
Allow a day of rest between interval training

Include a good nutritional program before and after workouts
Marie Murphy’s Track Club is now in its second year.  Over the past two years, I have had the opportunity to coach over 115 athletes.  Every athlete’s workout is timed and recorded along with the data of their improvements over the weeks and months.  The average improvement of all athletes in the MBS Fitness Marathon Training Program that ran a PR, which included a 21 week cycle of interval workouts, was 31 minutes (31:00).   The average improvement of athletes in the Track Club running repeat miles was 1 minute and 10 seconds (1:10).  These are just some of the reasons athletes come out to the track along with the team support and camaraderie.

Please join me to try interval training.   Workouts are held every Thursday night at 6:30 pm – 8:30 pm at th Santa Monica High School track, on the corner of 4th and Pico in Santa Monica.

Wishing you the best,

Coach Murphy :)