[kim_johnson]

there is a bunch of stuff on the net about how interval training (alternating high intensity with low intensity in bursts of between 30 sec and one and a half minutes) is better for you than medium intensity training.

there doesn't seem to be anything on how interval (alternating) training compares to high intensity training, though.

currently i do about 30 minutes of fairly consistent high intensity (keeping my heart rate near max by struggling with increased resistance or by increasing peddling speed). would i be better off switching from the current high intensity to interval training does anyone know???

thing is... i've actually been thinking i might be better to lower the intensity and increase the time to 40 or 50 minutes or... perhaps... keep the intensity and increase the time to 40 or 50 minutes.

people keep going on 'do you want to look like a marathon runner or a sprinter'??? (implilcation: a sprinter so do interval training). issue is... i'm a girl... i don't want to be built muscular like a sprinter particularly... i'd rather be lithe like a runner... (i want to burn more fat but i'm almost hitting up on the limits of how muscular i want to be - though i do want to continue with the weights).

thoughts welcome. peer reviewed stuff (that is relevant) is terrific too.

[roadracer]

what are you training for, what is your sport, and what are your goals? that all determins what sort of training you do, it determins how many intervals, what kind, etc.
When it comes to planing your training, it is not a question if high intensity is better then medium, it is not simply just doing a certain type of workout/intensity, but doing the correct workouts, for the correct duration, intensity, etc, that will bring you max results toward your goal.

If I know what your goals are, what your current training plan consists of, I might be able to give you some advice.

[kim_johnson]

I'm just trying to be 1) healthy and 2) have the best body (according to my preference and within reasonable limits) that I can have.

I'm trying to keep things sensible (with a balance of cardio, weights, core, and stretching).

I know that I have access androgens (or that my skin is particularly sensitive to them at any rate) which leads me to have a bit of a concern that I might be one of the few girls in the world who has a tendency to bulk up.

It is possible that if I reduce more body fat I'll feel differently... But currently I'm thinking... That I am nearly hitting up upon the limits of the muscle mass that I feel is desirable for me. I want to continue to lose bodyfat to be sure... But I really want to achieve a lithe dancer or marathon runner rather than a bulky swimmer or sprinter look.

Currently... I'm aiming for 6 days a week at the gym but am really achieving 5 ( 4 days training then one day off then one day pretty hard and another day off before moving into the next week). I've been doing 30 minutes of cardio cycling (two ankle fusions rule out any kind of impact). Been doing 2 circuits of foothills (so 4 hills) in 30 minutes and trying to do sprints when the hill is lacking (so keeping my heart rate up for the whole time). Once I think I can increase the resistance without dying then I move it up (currently on 12)

Then I do weights. Alternating upper and lower body every workout.

Starting to use the... Not quite an elliptical... Not quite a ski machine... Kind of a 'running' machine where you can do stepping or jogging or running... Lower impact and okay for ankles. Still getting my muscles used to it, though, and not doing any resistance or really getting any cardio out of it yet (one day of 5 minutes, one day of 7 minutes and then 10 after a fair break).

Not sure whether to alter the bike into interval training (and aim for that on the other machine, too)... Or whether to just continue what I'm doing (increasing the resistance on the bike and increasing the time and then resistance on the other machine till I'm up to about 50 minutes over both machines) or what...

Will get another program in 3 weeks... But interested in peoples thoughts / theories 'bout what to do until then...

[VickiesPath]

Wow. You guys are amazing. Up until now, I thought High Intensity training/exercise was getting in 5 loads of laundry on Saturday morning in time for lunch at the Indian restaurant at 11:00 followed by 4 full hours at the mall before cocktails at 4:30 and a movie at 6:00.

Low Intensity is getting through all my email along with CNN.com headline news before breakfast. I do type 65 wpm.

Guess I'd better rethink my program.

[roadracer]

To get the look you want, I would skip the interval training, and focus on endurance. Interval training is used to work on your 'power' and anaerobic threshold. You really wont see any benifit from interval training unless you are doing a sport that requires max efforts. For someone like a cyclist or runner, they use interval training to work on there ability to sprint and sustain max/high intensity efforts.

Inorder to burn the highest amount of fat, and work on the look you want, you want to spend the most amount of time working on endurance workouts. Keep your heart rate under 80%-70% of your max heart rate, and just go for as long as you can go, so like with the cycling, just keep uping the amount of time that you can do slowly over time, just dont up it to much at once. It is good to go really hard every now and then, as it is good for your heart, so I would say, one day a week on the bike do some sprints and go all out for a few minutes, get the heart rate high, but it dosent need to be intervals or anything

For weights, since you dont want to get big muscles, you want to work on burning fat, and toning your muscles. You need to focus on lower weights, with high reps, so lift a weight that you can easily lift, for something like 15 reps, and do something like 2 sets or one set with two different excercises per muscle group. So a example would be something like, 15 reps on the bench press, a few minute recovery, 15 reps on the leg press, few minute recovery, some pushups, recovery, 15 reps leg curls or leg press again. That would be all you do for legs and arms then, along with whatever other muscle groups you are lifting for. Just keep high reps, and alternate sets, dont do two sets of the same muscle group back to back.

You want to make sure there is always a day between the days you lift weights, so every other day at the most. You can do the aerobic/endurance exercises as often as you want, but after a few days you might need a break from it. I would recommend alternating days, so one day you work on all aerobic exercises, the bike, treadmill, etc, then the next day work on lifting weights, just make sure you have a day off to recover from working out, and make sure the days you are lifting, that you first warm up with a run on the treadmill or something.

Hope that helps
I have been racing road cycling for 6 years, and currently race at the pro level, so I have learned lots over the years.