Bursting is the New Interval Training
There seems to be a new term floating around called bursting. Have you heard about it? I was asked about it when I did my tele-class on metabolism, and it is worth understanding.
Bursting is another term for interval training, commonly done to get more out of aerobic conditioning. Interval training includes short “bursts” of high intensity effort followed by periods of low intensity recovery, which is repeated a number of times. High intensity is generally the point when you can’t hold a conversation.
These periodic bursts overloads your cardiovascular (circulatory and respiratory) and skeletal (bone) systems, which is actually how they get stronger and more fit. Bursts also get your heart rate up higher than if you were aerobic in an extended steady state, which helps you burn more calories in a shorter period of time.
You can’t sustain higher intensities for very long, nor do you want to. It would be too hard on your body. Instead short bursts are typically followed by longer periods of recovery, during which the body regenerates energy for the next burst and it adapts to the higher intensities.
The recommended ratio of effort to recovery is 1:3 for those just starting out, such as 1 minute of harder effort followed by 3 minutes of a lower intensity to recover. It is also suggested that those who are unconditioned still be able to talk during high intensity bursts. Then as you get fit, you can increase the intensity levels and shorten the ratio to 1:2 or 1:1. You can also add bursts periodically into your current aerobic routine and get good results.
What is new since I was certified in the field is the idea that it is safe and even highly effective to continue shortening the recovery time as you progress in your fitness. Once you are comfortable at 1:1 you could then go to 2:1 (twice the work to recovery) or even 3:1. But you have to be careful and listen to your body. This is what I didn’t do so well a couple of weeks ago. I did it for too long. At these higher rates, designed for athletes, it is common to only do 4 minutes (20 seconds extreme effort to 10 seconds rest repeated 7-8 times) along with a 5 minute warm up and cool down. You also need a day or so of recovery each time you do any high intensity interval training.
I’m going to experiment further with the right ratios and mix it up a bit. You can do the same.
Bursting is another term for interval training, commonly done to get more out of aerobic conditioning. Interval training includes short “bursts” of high intensity effort followed by periods of low intensity recovery, which is repeated a number of times. High intensity is generally the point when you can’t hold a conversation.
These periodic bursts overloads your cardiovascular (circulatory and respiratory) and skeletal (bone) systems, which is actually how they get stronger and more fit. Bursts also get your heart rate up higher than if you were aerobic in an extended steady state, which helps you burn more calories in a shorter period of time.
You can’t sustain higher intensities for very long, nor do you want to. It would be too hard on your body. Instead short bursts are typically followed by longer periods of recovery, during which the body regenerates energy for the next burst and it adapts to the higher intensities.
The recommended ratio of effort to recovery is 1:3 for those just starting out, such as 1 minute of harder effort followed by 3 minutes of a lower intensity to recover. It is also suggested that those who are unconditioned still be able to talk during high intensity bursts. Then as you get fit, you can increase the intensity levels and shorten the ratio to 1:2 or 1:1. You can also add bursts periodically into your current aerobic routine and get good results.
What is new since I was certified in the field is the idea that it is safe and even highly effective to continue shortening the recovery time as you progress in your fitness. Once you are comfortable at 1:1 you could then go to 2:1 (twice the work to recovery) or even 3:1. But you have to be careful and listen to your body. This is what I didn’t do so well a couple of weeks ago. I did it for too long. At these higher rates, designed for athletes, it is common to only do 4 minutes (20 seconds extreme effort to 10 seconds rest repeated 7-8 times) along with a 5 minute warm up and cool down. You also need a day or so of recovery each time you do any high intensity interval training.
I’m going to experiment further with the right ratios and mix it up a bit. You can do the same.
Labels: Active Fitness, Healthy exercising, Improve Metabolism
posted by Alice Greene at
4:13 PM
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