Comments on: Steady State and Interval Training: Part 2

By: Kieran

Kieran — Wed, 04 Aug 2010 21:17:16 +0000

Oops, I meant ’30 second sprint’ in the above post, NOT ’30 minute’. Sorry! Ta for any replies….

By: Kieran

Kieran — Wed, 04 Aug 2010 21:14:14 +0000

Hi Lyle,

Great article. I enjoy ‘old-fashioned running’ simply for how it makes me FEEL (as opposed to specific body fat loss, or other physical changes) but like everybody else, I’m always seeking to enhance further fat loss, if I can. I typically run 3-4 days a week for maybe 40 minutes per session. In addition, I do two days of bodyweight intervals done without rest for 3 sets. But about my runs . . . could I benefit from interval training by simply inserting a 30 minutes sprint every 3 minutes or so during my regular runs? I HATE the idea of following a program like ‘sprint for 30 second, rest 2 mins and repeat’ but the idea of adding a few sprints during my run in a more casuasl manner has appeal. Would this method work, do you think, as a sort of ‘compromise’ between the steady state and HIIT? Thanks for any replies.

By: lylemcd

lylemcd — Mon, 17 May 2010 01:00:48 +0000

Check your schedule, that’s 4 heavy leg days including intervals the day before and day after leg training. You’ll never survive that load.

By: Nick

Nick — Wed, 12 May 2010 13:59:33 +0000

Hello, great article just what I was looking for. I have a couple of q’s.

My shift pattern allows for the following workouts
Day 1 chest/intervals
Day 2 back/steady state (back incl deadlifts)
Day 3 arms/ interval
Day 4 legs/steady state
Day 5 shoulders/interval
3 days off. What should I be doing for these three days? Should I be resting or throwing in a couple of cheeky cardio sessions? If so which ones?
Cheers

By: rose

rose — Sun, 25 Apr 2010 13:59:10 +0000

wonderful article, lyle! im really loving this site.and im assuming that im on the right track because the sample schedule you’ve outlined above literally mirrors the one that im on right now.just curious what your view is on empty-stomach cardio??? i noticed big changes once i re-introduced early morning steady-state cardio on an empty stomach. curious as to what your opinion is on this.
rose.

By: Jack

Jack — Wed, 25 Nov 2009 19:50:58 +0000

Hey Lyle, I’m really eager to know more about NATURAL bodybuilders creating the caloric deficit and the optimal combination of food restriction and/or activity to create the deficit.

I know you said you would cover this at a later date in your “Setting the Deficit” article, and I think this is as good a time as any! Hope you agree. Thanks.

By: lylemcd

lylemcd — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 17:02:07 +0000

Whoops, article has been up over a year and you’re the first to notice the error.

Yes, Saturday would be off/active recovery, the article has been fixed.

Good catch
Lyle

By: Jack

Jack — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 05:06:43 +0000

Did something happen to Saturday? I’m assuming it would be another active rest day…

By: lylemcd

lylemcd — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 15:40:48 +0000

What you’re essentially describing is often called aerobic interval training, you do set pieces of fixed length but still at an aerobic intensity. Note that it’s not that common to see constant linear gains in most adaptations and certainly not aerobic. You may not need to change anything but simply wait for the adaptations to catch up with you.

By: barnetto

barnetto — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 04:08:57 +0000

Is there any kind of information out there on workouts that are neither interval nor steady state? I’ve been doing a warm up followed by 5 sets of 5 min on my rowing machine at an intensity I can sustain throughout, and then I blow everything I have in the last piece. Each week I’ve been decreasing my splits and I’ve just hit my plateau.

I was trying to figure out where to go from here, whether I should fit in some aerobic training now or something else in order to keep pushing my pace and progress. Your article provides a lot of food for thought. Keep it up!