January 15, 2009- New Year's resolutions aside, fitness is an important aspect of self defense. Most of us lead busy lives and need to budget our time wisely. Those of us who put our bodies under strain through intense training need to find ways to increase overall fitness.
Doing intervals of intense training for as little as six minutes can do more for your fitness levels that cardio workouts that last as long as 45-60 minutes, according to research from McMaster University in Canada. Those who did four to seven minute 30-second bursts of "all-out" exercise, followed by four minutes of recovery time, three times a week for two weeks, significantly increased their endurance capacity over those who did traditional cardiovascular training. Overall, 1.5 hours a week (including rest periods) of intense interval bursts equaled the results of 4.5 hours of regular training.
