What Is Interval Walking?

Changing your walking tempo can add a much-needed boost to your workouts. The American Council on Exercise notes interval training consists of alternating sessions of high intensity and low intensity activity. Interval walking can make your exercise sessions more interesting by breaking up a static exercise routine.

  1. Benefits

    • Interval walking can help you burn calories, increase your heart health and aid weight loss. The activity is a convenient, quick way to get in your cardio workout, while training in an indoor or outdoor setting. Non-stop aerobic activity places increased stress on your joints and muscles, potentially leading to injury. Interval training offers you with frequent rest periods which can reduce the risk of injury. You can also get an intense workout in a short period of time with this form of exercise.

    Energy Systems

    • Interval walking uses both the aerobic and anaerobic systems. The aerobic system helps you train during less intense exercise. Aerobic training uses oxygen to convert carbohydrates into energy for sustained workout sessions. The anaerobic system is recruited during short, intense bursts of physical activity. Training anaerobically causes you to use carbohydrates, instead of oxygen, as the primary energy source. This means you can only engage in anaerobic activities for a short period of time as your carbohydrate stores are utilized quickly.

    Intensity

    • A typical interval session involves walking for two minutes at a slower pace and walking briskly for two minutes, alternating sessions through the course of your workout. If you currently walk about 30 minutes daily and are new to interval training, work in brisk walking every two minutes to gradually introduce yourself to the activity. You can experiment with intensities too, based on your training goals. If you're training for a walking marathon consider increasing your walking speed during both work and rest sessions, and walk for longer periods of time, as your cardiovascular fitness improves.

    Tips

    • The Mayo Clinic notes to consult your physician before interval training, if you haven't exercised regularly or have chronic health conditions.