Interval training is a great way to build endurance and fitness. Interval training is when you do short bursts of high-intensity training followed by a timed active recovery period and then putting that on repeat for the duration of your workout. Getting your heart rate up multiple times as opposed to getting the heart rate up and keeping it there is a benefit of interval and endurance training.
Sport specific training will use interval training not only to build endurance, but also to build strength and increase the power output and intensity of the workout. If you coach triathletes, you will use interval training a lot to make your athletes stronger, faster, and able to train harder. It does not matter if you are working with a 4-week triathlon training schedule or a 2-month triathlon training schedule. Both training plans will incorporate interval training for endurance and that extra competitive edge.
A fitness center supervisor can help you find a trainer who is knowledgeable of your sport specific needs. Many personal trainers are athletes themselves and understand the demands of training. Different sports have different needs. For example, if you are doing Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) physical training, you will need to focus your interval training workout on quickness so you can have greater agility on your feet. The movements that are used in MMA are unique to that sport and have a specific set of needs for the athletes that practice and compete in that field. Utilizing a sport specific coach or trainer to create an interval training workout plan for your specific sport can help you be a better athlete with a greater competitive edge.
Many athletes will add variations of other sports to their interval training workout plan to not only build endurance but to stay injury free as well. Walking can be added to your interval training plan if you are a runner. You can sprint for sixty seconds and follow that with a two-minute walk and put that on repeat. You are giving yourself an active recovery and still building personal fitness.
Interval training burns more calories than traditional workouts which allows the clients and athletes alike to finish a hard workout in less time. It can make you a faster runner, a faster cyclist, and a stronger swimmer. Interval training for endurance benefits all athletes who engage in endurance training or participate in endurance events.
ASFA is the best way to continue your education and expand into the exciting fields of Sport Specific Training, Triathlon Coaching or Martial Arts Fitness. To check out these certifications and the many others ASFA offers, click the link below.
