How much cardio each session?

[line]

Puls intervalls 45min (very effective)

8min warm up
4min 85% of max puls
3min 70%
4min 95%
3min 70%
4min 95%(up to 100%)
3min 70%
4min 95%(up to 100%)
3min 70%
cooldown
strech

the % of maximum puls is off course not perfectly accurate, that's pretty impossible

This intervall system has been developed and is in use by the Norwegian Olympia team and is very effective for improving max puls and oxygen uptake. Just 2 of theese workouts pr week will give you a noticable improvement. The best norwegian cross country skiers do 4-5 of theese every week.

I usually nearly drop dead at the end of the hardcore intervalls, and can bearly move at all the first 10sec into the "resting" intervalls. My energy usually comes back about halfway into the 3min intervall.
..but I am not at all a top athlete

[fredrikw]

are you sure this is what they do? or is it perhaps just a condensed version?

just having 8 minutes warm up before an intense interval workout doesn't sound like someone who's seriously and professionally training would do. also, that short recovery time efter each interval is also quite strange, quite the opposite to what is known about interval training. I would also think that recovery heart rate would be a bit lower.

I wouldn't recommend anyone not used to interval training and that aren't familliar and experienced with heart rate based training to do any intervals that exceeds 90%. just doing this workout out of the blue could actually be dangerous if you're not fit to do it and have the experience.

and it's not at all impossible to reach and maintain a certain precentage of you maximum heart rate.

[line]

are you sure this is what they do? or is it perhaps just a condensed version?

I am pretty sure this is what they do. My work out counsler has adviced me to do 4 of theese each week, and he specifically told me that's how Bjørn Dæhlie and Marit Bjørgen, among others, work out to maintain their good condition. Others have also told me this system is developed by the Norwegian Olympic team.

just having 8 minutes warm up before an intense interval workout doesn't sound like someone who's seriously and professionally training would do.

I totally agree that 8 min is a bit too short. The 8 min warm up is pretty intensively, so I usually prevarm easy for 5 min before the more intensive 8min warm up. ..but the first intervall is only 85%.

I wouldn't recommend anyone not used to interval training and that aren't familliar and experienced with heart rate based training to do any intervals that exceeds 90%. just doing this workout out of the blue could actually be dangerous if you're not fit to do it and have the experience.

Mm, forgot to think of that Wouldn't want to kill anyone. ..but when you already are fit, this is an excellent way of improving and maintaining high max puls and VO2.

and it's not at all impossible to reach and maintain a certain precentage of you maximum heart rate.

hm.. my puls swings a little, I cannot manage to keep it perfectly steady, but I do theese intervalls in aerobics (which I forgot to mention). Spinning og running is a little different.
So: correction: in aerobics it's pretty impossible to keep a perfectly steady heartrate.

also, that short recovery time efter each interval is also quite strange, quite the opposite to what is known about interval training. I would also think that recovery heart rate would be a bit lower.

it works for me. after 2min I'm ready to go again. after 3min I'm aching to go..
I'm very interested in trying your intervall system. Can you tell what your superman secret is?

[fredrikw]

I am pretty sure this is what they do. My work out counsler has adviced me to do 4 of theese each week, and he specifically told me that's how Bjørn Dæhlie and Marit Bjørgen, among others, work out to maintain their good condition. Others have also told me this system is developed by the Olympic team.

I find it very strange that people training professionally, doing it as their full time job, would try to squeeze in a quality workout like this in 45 minutes, it simply doesn't make any sense.

also, what system are we talking about? alternating between hard work and recovery? or these specific numbers?

I totally agree that 8 min is a bit too short. The 8 min warm up is pretty intensively, so I usually prevarm easy for 5 min before the more intensive 8min warm up. ..but the first intervall is only 85%.

what do you mean by that? at 85% you're working at threshold level, and you're doing this for four minutes. do you suggest that 85% is low? are you talking about 85% of your sport specific max heart rate, or are you talking about something else, because I seriously doubt you would call 85% of MaxHR "only" if it were % of your real MaxHR you were talking about.

hm.. my puls swings a little, I cannot manage to keep it perfectly steady, but I do theese intervalls in aerobics (which I forgot to mention). Spinning og running is a little different.
So: correction: in aerobics it's pretty impossible to keep a perfectly steady heartrate.

ok, now I'm very positive you're not talking about percentage of your real sport specific max heart rate, because I seriously doubt you'll be able to achieve and maintain over 90% of your MaxHR doing aerobics, unless you're using weights or increase the speed and don't care about the music.

I'm interested in trying your intervall system. Can you tell what your superman secret is?

pick up any book on heart rate based training, interval training, or general sport physiology, it's really no rocket science or superman secrets. just relying on one source is always a bad thing.

[line]

I am talking about MaxHR. It's not at all impossible to achive this doing aerobics.
Big movements with both arms and legs at a very high speed.
We have a function on the HiFi system for increasing BPM in the music
If you think aerobics is recreational activity for bimbo pussys, you should think again.
The high intervall music is on 145BPM or more, the recovery intervals on 130BPM. The moves are very different in intensity. ..and of corse you have to apply strenght in the moves, tense stomach and back muscles, tensly streching out armes and knees completely for every move, tensing to your fingertips and toes ...face gets pretty tense also

I'm suprised that you haven't heard about this kind of work before.
..now I'm gonna have to go through lot's of literature to get into your world of cardio work out Can't you just explain your recommended methods here and save me some time?

[fredrikw]

I am talking about MaxHR.

ok, how do you know your MaxHR? have you measured it?

It's not at all impossible to achive this doing aerobics.
Big movements with both arms and legs at a very high speed.
We have a function on the HiFi system for increasing BPM in the music
If you think aerobics is recreational activity for bimbo pussys, you should think again.
The high intervall music is on 145BPM or more, the recovery intervals on 130BPM. The moves are very different in intensity. ..and of corse you have to apply strenght in the moves, tense stomach and back muscles, tensly streching out armes and knees completely for every move, tensing to your fingertips and toes ...face gets pretty tense also

I haven't said that it's only for "bimbo pussies" (whatever you mean by that), but one inherent problem with aerobics is that you only use your body and the tempo of the music, which means that you really can't increase anything unless you gain weight or you use weights or something. just moving your arms and legs and tensing different muscles won't increase the intensity that much. unless of course you don't listen to the beat of the music and go at your own pace, but there are limits to this as well.

I'm suprised that you haven't heard about this kind of work before.

what exactly do you mean by this? interval training is not something the Norwiegan olympic team invented, it has been around for a very long time. or do you mean aerobics? there are studies about the limits of cardiovascular benefits of aerobics, due to the limits of speed and resistance.

now I'm not saying that aerobics is a bad thing, or that it's useless for CV training, what I reacted upon was that you claim to be training at 95-100% of MaxHR for four minutes, something I seriously doubt you're doing.

..now I'm gonna have to go through lot's of literature to get into your world of cardio work out Can't you just explain your recommended methods here and save me some time?

nah, I think it would be good for you to read up a bit on this, especially since you're giving out advice on a public forum about a workout that really isn't making much sense. and believe me, it's not just my world.

[Dave Noisy]

I agree that training at 95%+ of max HR is highly unlikely.....

Unless it's hot, my HR will only stay above 90% for very brief moments.

I don't think training like this would be very useful...since there's such a varience in lactate threshold....not everyone is 85%, and it will vary from conditions (in colder weather, i'm down below 174bpm, in hot weather i'm up over 185bpm.)

There's a lot to be said for long, steady riding just under threshold as well...

[Fruitbat]

hmmm i do think the HR numbers above look pretty horrendous but I dont have great CV fitness! That workout would certainly kill me.

What sport do you do this workout in Line?

[line]

I did a session this morning. Aerobics. Also do this in spinning, but I prefer aerobics.
I've actually been told this sort of work out has a preventive effect on heart disease.
It's supposed to be in addition to other exercise sessions, and it really does improve O2 uptake and maxHR. I really noticed the effect of it when I didn't do it for 4-5 months, and when I started doing it again.
2-3 session pr week is enough for me in addition to dancing and long distance bicycling, but some proffesional cardio athletes do up to 4-5 of these in addition to other types of training.

It probably wouldn't kill you, I'm still alive..
..but you shouldn't do it if you really don't feel like it.

I could be interested in trying out different methods if anyone has successful receipes.

[anna c]

2-3 times a week 40 minutes of ashtanga style sun salutations, with some improvized flowyoga variations added. YES, yoga can be cardio. this makes me sweat more than any other exercise, and at the same time it is the most efficient buttocks exercise i know. the reason why i only do it 2-3 times a week is that my butt hurts too much to do it more often

+

3 times a week 45 minutes interval on a bike at the gym (i have no pulse meter, or whatever that is called, so i have no idea of my HR)

the days i do sun salutations, i go on doing abs and working with weights, followed by some restorative yoga and stretching. the days I do the bike, i end with an hour of gentle yoga.