Gabe Mirkin, M.D.
Athletes train by "stressing and recovering". On one day,
they take a hard workout which damages their muscles, on the
next day, they feel sore and take easy workouts, and when the
soreness goes away, take a hard workout again. They also break
down individual workouts into intervals of stress and recovery.
After warming up, they increase the intensity of the workout until
they feel burning in their muscles, become short of breath, or
exceed a certain heart rate. Then they slow down and when they
have recovered partially, they increase their intensity again.
They repeat these stress and recovery intervals until their
muscles start to stiffen and they are then stop the workout. A
report from The National Institute for Occupational Safety and
Health in Morgantown, West Virginia shows that the shorter the
rest during an interval, the longer it takes to recover (Medicine &
Science in Sports & Exercise, August 2005).
If you are a regular exerciser, you probably have already
noticed this in your own body. Runners may take an interval
workout of running ten quarter-miles averaging 65 seconds each,
with a 110-yard jog lasting three minutes between each hard run.
If they shorten their recoveries to two minutes, they tire earlier,
their muscles feel sorer afterwards, and it takes them longer to
recover. The same applies to weightlifters. A weightlifter may
do four sets of ten repetitions of lifting a 150-pound weight,
resting for three minutes between each set. If he shortens his
interval rest to one minute, he may not be able to finish his
workout, feels far more soreness during the workout and will be
sore for many days after that workout.
Athletes learn their ideal interval rest durations through
trial and error. They may want to rest until their pulses drops
enough for them to feel comfortable, or for them to be able to
slow breathing rate down towards normal, or wait until their
muscles lose soreness and they feel fresh. They do not wait for
complete recovery of resting heart or breathing rate, or complete
recovery from muscle soreness. Runners and cyclists often use
heart rate monitors or a clock to determine when they will do their
next interval. Weight lifters usually wait for their bodies to "feel"
recovered. You can use whatever yardstick for recovery you like,
but if it takes you longer than two days to recover from an interval
workout, you are probably exercising too intensely, doing too
many repetitions, or not taking a long enough interval rest.
More on interval training
May 1, 2006