Interval training are great workouts to get faster, lose weight, and increase your fitness level faster than than doing a steady, sustained cardio effort. By incorporating bouts of higher intensities in your fitness training program you will not only gain strength but boost your metabolism which will in turn burn more calories. There are numerous ways to add intervals into your workout program and one such method is in what is called a pyramid workout.

In a pyramid workout each hard effort interval will increase in time or distance, like climbing up a ladder, and then you will work your way back down. This is excellent at getting you working out at different paces; you will be able to go faster and harder for the shorter intervals and the longer ones will have you working more at a threshold pace that will improve your endurance. This way you will be tapping into both of your systems, aerobic as well as anaerobic for the shortest intervals.

An interval workout is a great way to get in an effective workout in a relatively short amount of time, and in as little as 30 minutes you can be well on your way to a faster, leaner, fitter you. Follow the guideline below and for the shorter intervals you will obviously be going faster and as the hard effort times increase you will adjust your pace accordingly. By the end of each hard effort you should feel like you are working at about an 8 or 9 on a scale of 1 to 10. The recovery should be just that, and don't worry if you are going slow; as long as you keep moving the goal is to allow you to rest before the next hard interval.

6 minute warm up
1 minute hard
1 minute recovery
2 minutes hard
2 minutes recovery
3 minutes hard
3 minutes recovery
2 minutes hard
2 minutes recovery
1 minute hard
1 minute recovery
30 seconds hard
5:30 minute cool down

In just 30 minutes you will have worked hard and blasted calories. For anyone looking to get in better shape or lose weight, doing interval workouts is one of the best way to achieve both!