Moderate Exercise Vs Interval Training

Interval training is beneficial for heart health, plus it halves the time it takes to lose weight and build lean muscle mass. Interval training workouts maintain muscle tissue more than fat burning moderate exercise. If you are wondering what the difference is between moderate exercise vs interval training, you will discover more in this article.

To boost your fitness you need to push your body harder than usual. If you want to stay healthy, lose weight, and maintain fitness, longer workout sessions are often necessary. These sessions encourage fat loss, but the body can then turn to lean muscle mass to fuel the energy after 30 to 45 minutes. This is catastrophic to those wishing to lose weight because the loss of lean muscle tissue can reduce the basal metabolic rate (BMR), which is the rate the body burns calories at rest.

Interval training burns just as many calories as longer workouts, except the workout is so short that it does not dip into lean muscle tissue to use as energy. Weight training maintains lean muscle tissue so it is important to train the muscles before carrying out aerobic exercise. Weight training burns glycogen, but does not burn muscle so perform aerobic exercise immediately after, if you have time.

Positives of Moderate Exercise

  • Studies show it can prevent heart disease and diabetes against interval training, as moderate exercise lowers triglycerides in the body.
  • The overall preventative benefits last longer than the benefits gained through intensive workouts.
  • Both the length and intensity of training has been shown to boost high-density lipoprotein (HDL) and reduce low-density lipoproteins (LDL) cholesterol.
  • Builds strength in the connective tissue, joints, and muscles so that higher impact training can be performed.
  • Aids in reducing hormonal and physiological stress.
  • Improves the mood for several hours afterward.
  • Burns fat.

Negatives of Moderate Exercise

  • It is also important to practice weight training before moderate exercise so the muscle tissue is not the primary energy source.
  • Try not to perform the exercise for more than 45-minutes as it can burn essential metabolically active muscle tissue.

Positives of Interval Training

  • With the heart at an elevated rate, there is no option but to burn significantly more calories to cool the body through the profuse sweating.
  • It works both the anaerobic and aerobic systems therefore maintaining metabolically active muscle tissue, whilst also keeping the heart strong.
  • Interval training builds a more efficient system and transfers oxygen around the body with ease.
  • The muscles are able to build up a high tolerance to the build up of lactate.
  • Fitness improves rapidly as the body is pushed to its physical and mental limits. The faster your pulse rate returns to normal, the fitter you are.
  • Interval training prevents injuries associated with endurance workouts.
  • Research has shown interval workouts burn more calories over a shorter period, plus the calorie burn continues long after the workout is completed.
  • Trains the fast and slow twitch muscle fibers, which allows you to gain power and speed in other exercises.
  • Elevates the mood and maintains it for several hours afterward.

Negatives of Interval Training

  • It requires a good level of fitness as interval training stresses out the body to a certain degree.
  • It may cause injuries in individuals who are unprepared for the mental and physical demands this type of exercise brings.
  • It is physically impossible to perform interval training for hours; this can cause injury because the focus and delivery is not as effective as the first twenty minutes. Always listen to the body.

The difference between moderate exercise vs interval training is the choice of exercise and the length of time it is performed. Types of moderate exercise include cycling, rowing, jogging, and cross trainers, and types of interval training includes slow and fast running, fast skipping, jumping jacks, tabata intervals, and burpees.

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