About Max Interval Training

If you have heard of the Insanity workout, you have probably heard the term “Max Interval Training” thrown around with it. But what exactly is it?

Max Interval Training is the idea behind Insanity that makes it the true success that it is. Shaun T. has taken traditional interval training and flipped it on its head.

Basically, instead of a workout that is mostly made up of moderate cardio exercise interspersed with short bursts of high intensity exercises, you get a workout that is completely made up of high intensity exercises with shorts periods of rest mixed in. This more closely resembles another type of interval training know as High Intensity Interval Training or HIIT.

Max Interval Training is so effective that Beachbody have claimed that you can burn as many as 1,000 calories per hour through their workouts! That seems a little high, but I am happy to put it to the test. As you can imagine, it takes a very determined person to keep up with that kind of workout.

Max Interval Training Video #

This video is more of a marketing than informational piece, but it does a pretty good job of explaining the ideas behind max interval training starting around the 1:23 mark:

But Wait, There’s More #

There have been a number of studies showing interesting aerobic and metabolic effects from HIIT. Among the highlights:

• Increased resting metabolic rate for up to 24 hours after exercising.
• More effective fat burn than traditional, long aerobic exercise.
• Lower insulin resistance in a study of young, healthy men.

For those interested, I recommend reading up on traditional interval training and HIIT over at Wikipedia. Check out the links below:

Interval Training from Wikipedia

High Intensity Interval Training from Wikipedia

That’s all I’ve got for you for now – Check back soon.

Cheers!