I often talk about how interval training is the most effective form of aerobic exercise for burning stubborn chest fat. One of things I love most about IT is its flexibility. This summer I’ve been switching between short, intense sprints, to hill cycling and bunch of different circuits. The variety not only keeps thing from getting too stale and predictable, but I also like to think it keeps my metabolism ‘guessing’…like it can never be sure what’s coming next!
One other session that I’ve been doing over the last month or so is one I ’stole’ from the Scottish tennis player, and current world number 2, Andy Murray. When he first appeared on the professional circuit this guy got a lot of criticism for not being in good enough condition– he wilted a few times in some big 5 set matches, and even vomited during a match at the US open as I recall.
Oops!
Anyway, a lot of the stick he received was pretty harsh, he was still basically a kid. And he definitely took a lot of it to heart, because in not much more than a couple of years he has turned himself into one of the fittest, and hardest working players on tour. I’ve really enjoyed watching him show his detractors what he’s really about, and I’ve also been fascinated by his workouts, which he sometimes documents on his blog .
They can be pretty hardcore to say the least. According to Andy, the most challenging part of his training regime, and the part that I’ve been trying to emulate this summer, involves running intervals of 400 metres at the track
A standard session involves 10 x 400 meter laps, run at around 75 seconds a lap, with 75 seconds rest in between. You can see some photos of Andy in action toward the end of this post.
I’ve been doing my own ‘version’ of this kind of training at a local grass track near my home and believe me, it hurts. I’m currently wasted after just 6 laps of 85 seconds with 90 secs of recovery. Tomorrow I’m going to try for 7, but I just know the last one is going to bring me to my knees.
It’s a painful routine, but tremendously satisfying. 400 meters just seems to be an optimum distance for pushing to the limit with intervals. It combines some of the power of sprinting and also some of the endurance of longer distance running, Since I started in the beginning of June it’s helped me lose a couple of extra pounds around my waist and chest, plus I’ve noticed my aerobic performance in other areas has improved massively
AI feel lot of the effectiveness comes from running outside as opposed to using the treadmill, so if you you like the idea of measuring your performance against a world class athlete like Andy Murray try and find a track near you and put in a few laps against the stopwatch.
I promise it will give your man boobs nightmares
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