Have you been hitting the pavement for the last few months, or even years, and been struggling to achieve any progress with your fitness or running goals? Maybe a shake up with your running training is what you need. Many runners believe long distance running is the best way to improve their fitness and running endurance, however new studies suggest these 1 hour+ long runs may not be the best approach.
High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT) involves alternating between high intensity ‘fast’ periods of exercise and lower intensity ‘slower’ periods of exercise. You may have heard or even tried this style of training as it has become very popular among the fitness world.
How can HIIT improve my running endurance?
Long story short, it improves your anaerobic capacity- this is your ability to perform at, and maintain, higher intensities for longer periods and further distances. Overall, it enhances your ability to run faster for longer.
This is made possible by increasing your lactate tolerance, increasing the size of your fast twitch muscle fibres, and increasing ATP and Creatine Phosphate levels (energy for you muscles).
How can you incorporate it into your current training?
The best part about HIIT training is that it can be adapted for beginners, all the way to our elite athletes. The main goal is to push yourself to close to maximal during the ‘fast’ interval, and then let yourself recover during the ‘slow’ interval. Some ways to perform this include;
Tabata- 20 seconds of maximal effort run, followed by 10 seconds rest/recovery.
Or
Short Sprint Intervals – 5 x 100 metre, 5 x 200m, 5 x 300m- Allow your recovery to be 3 x the length of your interval ‘fast’ interval. E.g. If it takes you 20 seconds to sprint 100metres, give yourself 60 seconds to rest and recover before doing the next interval.
As always speak to your exercise physiologist or physio prior to commencing any new exercise program or if you need assistance with tailoring your running program.
