High-intensity exercise is obviously good, but beware of the trap of doing just high intensity exercise and doing it too frequently - the body does not handle that amount of stress particularly well, and it will be counterproductive to your health.
Low intensity exercise that holds your aerobic base is vital as well - and for a well-rounded exercise week, it should constitute the majority of your exercise time.
That is not to say that you should neglect higher intensities, it's just that you cannot do them as often due to the disproportionate amount of fatigue they generate.
Interval training also seems like a great way to burn out and make yourself dread the thought of exercise.
Other than for elite athletes tuning specifically for bursty competitions, interval training is such an unnatural torture that I do not understand the appeal. Even if the dubious popular claim that it is a short cut to optimal fitness might be partly true, I would much rather have an hour or two fun cycling or light running and exploring than 10 minutes of interval agony.
There is a constant stream of pop-science/lifestyle-advice articles advertising HIIT as a way to save time on exercise along the lines of "this smart technique, developed by a Japanese scientist will make you as fit as someone who exercises 8 hours a week with just 4 minutes per day!". Search for "Tabata" if you are curious. So a lot of those, who find regular exercise too hard, try HIIT as a replacement.
Comments
High-intensity exercise is obviously good, but beware of the trap of doing just high intensity exercise and doing it too frequently - the body does not handle that amount of stress particularly well, and it will be counterproductive to your health.
Low intensity exercise that holds your aerobic base is vital as well - and for a well-rounded exercise week, it should constitute the majority of your exercise time.
That is not to say that you should neglect higher intensities, it's just that you cannot do them as often due to the disproportionate amount of fatigue they generate.
Interval training also seems like a great way to burn out and make yourself dread the thought of exercise.
Other than for elite athletes tuning specifically for bursty competitions, interval training is such an unnatural torture that I do not understand the appeal. Even if the dubious popular claim that it is a short cut to optimal fitness might be partly true, I would much rather have an hour or two fun cycling or light running and exploring than 10 minutes of interval agony.
There is a constant stream of pop-science/lifestyle-advice articles advertising HIIT as a way to save time on exercise along the lines of "this smart technique, developed by a Japanese scientist will make you as fit as someone who exercises 8 hours a week with just 4 minutes per day!". Search for "Tabata" if you are curious. So a lot of those, who find regular exercise too hard, try HIIT as a replacement.