If there’s one cardio “must” I’m always preaching, it’s interval training–basically, varying the pace of your workouts as a proven method for boosting fitness and maximizing benefits. I’ve already gone on and on about the benefits in previous posts, and yet…
…as I find myself doing most of my rides these past few months on the spin bike while watching TV–partly because I’m new to the area and don’t know the outdoor routes well enough yet, partly because of ark-worthy torrential downpours–I’ve more often than not found myself lulled into the mortal sin of doing all my workouts at the exact same middling pace. And while one moderately paced workout a week isn’t a bad idea–especially if you’re training for endurance and it’s your long ride/run–doing every ride at the same mediocre pace results in the same mediocre performance.
While there are workout videos like Spinervals that you can watch while on a spin bike or trainer, I need to be a bit more entertained to stay engaged. Some swear by gimmicks like sprinting during commercial breaks or, say, every time someone takes a drink on Mad Men–but those just don’t work for me.
Alas, a free app has come to my rescue–Interval Timer.
This simple app allows you to program intervals, alerting you when to kick it into high gear and when to back off. Simply set a warmup time, cool down time, and then program the time of your rest (low interval) and work (high interval) intervals and the number of repeats you desire.
A sample hour-long workout on the spin bike went as follows:
10 minute warmup
5 minutes @ 70-75% max heart rate
20x :30 hard (80-90% MHR), :60 recovery
5 minutes @ 70-75% max heart rate
10 minute cool down
And yes, it’s super easy to program the Tabata Protocol as well for HIIT intervals. But your intervals don’t have to be short and anaerobic–you can also program intervals that last ten minutes or even hours if you desire, for long aerobic-style efforts.
For just $2.99, the upgraded version will let you add multiple interval cycles–so you can increase or decrease the work/rest ratio over the course of your workout ( five reps at 30 seconds work, 60 seconds rest; five reps at 45 seconds work, 45 seconds rest; 5 reps at 60 seconds work, 30 seconds rest, etc). Both allow you to name and save your favorite routines.
If you’re on a bike just about anything that gets your heart rate up will do for the
“high interval”–hill repeats, sprints, surges, out of the saddle climbs, etc–or you can mix it up from rep to rep. The app also allows you to select different sound effects–chimes, boings, boxing bells–to indicate when you’re supposed to switch, so you don’t have to constantly watch the screen–which means you can use it while running, on the Stairmaster, elliptical, etc. Want to use it on a run while playing tunes on your iPhone? No problem: you can even select playlists and control them within the app.
Spending all my time riding indoors isn’t ideal, and I’m determined to get out and enjoy the many organized training rides in the area. But if I have to be inside, the interval trainer makes it easy and fun to program challenging cardio routines and stick to them–ultimately helping maximize workouts and workout time.
Check it out, let me know what you think–and share your routines!
