High Intensity Intervals by Marius Bakken

Ok guys! So my first post will be a review on a type of high intensity workout recommended by Marius Bakken, the current holder of the Nordic records for 3 and 5k.  I first heard of his style of training when a friend recommended it for me, and after having tried it a couple of times i was hooked. The reason this workout is so good is because it is fast, effective, and works regardless of what level of fitness you are on. 

You start the workout by setting your treadmill to a comfortable pace for your warmup. Jog at this pace for about 5-10 minutes. Once you're warm you increase the pace to a faster run - I recommend starting at somewhere between 11 and 13 km/h the first time, and seeing how that goes. Then you run at that pace for 40 seconds. When you've run 40 seconds you get a 20 second break, in which you have time to drink some water and recover slightly. Before your next repetition you increase the speed with 0.2 km/h, and then you repeat the process. You should do about 15 repetitions, and then you're done. If you don't feel tired already after 5, you can increase the pace or increase the angle of the slope. The point of these intervals is to run until you can't anymore. If you do this workout, say, once a week, you should increase your starting pace every so often. This way your fitness-level will increase rapidly. 

I started doing this type of intervals a while ago, and I can already notice that I've gotten fitter. I can now run faster and further than i used to be able to. I used to start them at 11. 6 km/h, with barely being able to finish. Now I'm currently starting them at 13+ (I'm still exhausted when I'm done though). What's also great about this workout is that the short breaks give your muscles enough time to work down the lactic acid, but it's not enough time to bring your pulse down, so your heart rate remains high throughout the workout. 

I highly recommend that you try this workout, because it is incredibly efficient. But if you try it once and don't like it I suggest that you still try a couple of more times, because it gets better with time. I despised them at first, but now I love them. High intensity intervals in general are good for increasing your fitness-level, but this type is -so far- my favourite. The only downside to these intervals is that they only work if you have access to a treadmill, and not everyone does. However, if you do, i really recommend that you try them, because they really do give you results, and they come quickly!