Recent research out of Australia has found that eight seconds of intense cardio followed by twelve seconds of moderate cardio for twenty minutes enabled women to lose three times as much fat than those who went about their cardio at a steady pace. It's basic interval training, but in very, very short intervals.
When doing interval training, you need to work with your own Rate of Perceived Exertion or RPE and work between easy (1-3), medium (4-7) and hard (8-10) amounts of exertion. Since I am a numbers gal I like using a heart rate monitor more. For these Intervals you're going to be working between intensity levels of Fat Burning, Endurance and Performance Training. To find your heart rate zones check out Fit's Calculator.
So try it out on the stationary bike, treadmill, rowing machine or in the pool:
- 00:00-05:00, Warm-up, RPE 1-3
- 05:00-05:08, RPE 8-10
05:08-05:20, RPE 4-7
05:20-05:28, RPE 8-10
05:28-05:40, RPE 4-7
05:40-05:48, RPE 8-10
05:48-06:00, RPE 4-7 - 06:00-25:00, Repeat step two 19 more times
- 25:00-30:00, Cool-down, RPE 1-3
All the switching is a sure way to keep you busy throughout your workout. So try it out and let me know what you think.
Enjoy!
I read a similar Australian study a few months ago where they used a 6 second/9 second split, which is directly proportional to the 8/12.
I average about 150 RPM for the 6 second intervals and 90 RPM for the 9 second intervals, resulting in a little over 7 miles per 20 minute session.
I've never had better success at burning fat, while simultaneously increasing endurance. I swear by this routine, and I'm sure the 8/12 would produce very similar results.