Interval training isn’t new to runners. The concept is simple: Instead of exercising at one pace for an extended time, you alternate between short, high-intensity bursts and longer recovery periods. While steady-state cardio trains your muscles to be more efficient—an important adaptation for distance runners—occasionally working at the high-intensity level can lead to burning more calories for hours after the session has ended.
Exactly how many more is difficult to calculate because every person’s body is different, but it can be as high as 25 to 30 percent more than steady-state workouts, according to the American College of Sports Medicine. And high-intensity interval training (HIIT) that incorporates strength moves helps build total-body fitness in a way that interval running does not. Do the following routine once or twice a week on nonrunning days to reap huge benefits in just 30 minutes—without even leaving home.
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This routine is composed of two main parts: a dynamic warmup and the main workout. You’ll do each exercise in the dynamic warmup for 30 seconds, rest, and then move on to the first exercise of the main workout. Here’s the full schedule:
3 minutes:
Dynamic warmup
1 minute:
Rest
6 minutes:
Exercises 1 to 3 each for 1 minute. Cycle through them 2 times.
1 minute:
Rest
9 minutes:
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1 minute:
Rest
9 minutes:
Do this exercise for one minute, then move on to Exercise 9, Single-Leg, Single-Arm Plank.
Jumping Jack
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Pogo Hop
Using your arms to help propel you, hop up and down, allowing your feet to move only inches off the floor. Surprising Stress Symptoms in Runners.
Gate Swing
With your toes pointing out and your back straight, push your hips back and lower into a squat. Gently press on your inner thighs to open your knees. Return to standing and repeat. Surprising Stress Symptoms in Runners.
Hip Swing
Brace your core and glutes as you swing your right leg forward and backward as far as you comfortably can. After 15 seconds, switch sides. Surprising Stress Symptoms in Runners.
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Step your left leg back into a lunge. Reach your arms up and back, then lower. Press through your right foot to stand. Switch sides. Surprising Stress Symptoms in Runners.
Inchworms
Bend forward to touch the floor. Keeping your legs straight, walk your hands forward without letting your hips sag. Then, take tiny steps to walk your feet to your hands. Repeat. Surprising Stress Symptoms in Runners. Then rest for one minute before beginning the for more amazing Runners World workouts like this.
1 / for more amazing Runners World workouts like this
Do a quarter squat on your left leg. Then, reach your right foot as far forward as you can, tap the floor, and return to starting position. Do the same reaching to the right and to the rear. Alternate legs. What Are Normal Cholesterol Levels.
2 / Single-Leg Pushup
Assume a pushup position. While descending, lift your right leg eight to 10 inches off the floor. Return to the starting position and descend again, this time raising your left leg. Repeat. Master the Half.
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Step your right leg back and lower until your knee nears the floor. Push through your left foot to stand, swing your right leg up, and reach for your toes with your left hand. Alternate sides. Do this exercise for one minute, then go back and cycle through Exercises 1 through 3 again. After completing the second cycle, rest one minute before moving on to Exercise 4, What Runners Should Know about Their Blood Work.
4 / What Runners Should Know about Their Blood Work
Squat deeply and place your hands on the floor. Hop back into a pushup position and do one pushup. Hop back to a squat and jump up, throwing your hands above your head. Land and repeat. Fun Half Marathons.
5 / Dumbbell Row
Holding two dumb-bells at arms’ length, bend at your hips and knees and lower your torso forward. Pull the dumbbells up to the sides of your chest, pause, and slowly lower. Repeat. Lunge and Reach Back.
6 / The Runner
Lie on your back, elbows at your sides and arms bent. Lift your shoulders and upper back off the floor as you remove your right knee toward your chest and drive your left arm forward, then lower. Alternate sides. Do this exercise for one minute, then go back and cycle through Exercises 4 through 6 twice more. After completing the third cycle, rest one minute before moving on to Exercise 7, Dumbbell Swing.
7 / Dumbbell Swing
Hold one end of a dumbbell in both hands. Bend your knees and push the weight back between your legs, then explode forward with your hips to propel the weight up. Swing back down and repeat. Other Hearst Subscriptions.
8 / Compass Lunge
Lunge forward (or “north”) with your right leg. Push through your front foot to stand and repeat to hit all points—northeast, east, southeast, and south. Then, switch sides to continue the circular motion. Do this exercise for one minute, then move on to Exercise 9, DAA Industry Opt Out.
9 / DAA Industry Opt Out
From the plank position, raise your left leg and extend your right arm out in front of you. Hold for five seconds. Then lower your arm and leg and raise your right leg and left arm for five seconds. Alternate. Single-Leg, Single-Arm Plank.
Adapted from Workout Prescription: 10, 20 & 30-Minute High-Intensity Interval Training Workouts for Every Fitness Level, by Jordan Metzl, M.D. (Rodale)
Jordan Metzl is a sports medicine physician in New York City. He’s the author of three bestselling books and the creator of the Ironstrength Workout, a functional fitness program for runners.
