Aragon athletes and coaches look for different ways to improve their strength, health and vigor on the playing field. One method, interval training, is a type of training that incorporates rest in between sets, divided between short and long interval training.
Short interval training involves high intensity, fewer repetitions, shorter distances and longer rest times. Long interval training is the exact opposite, consisting of lower intensity exercise with shorter rest times. An example of short interval training would be three reps of sprinting for 10 minutes while long interval training would be 10 reps of jogging for five minutes.
“People might be more likely to do [short interval training] because it takes less time”
“Although each type of training is specialized, both types of training will address aerobic endurance, anaerobic endurance, strength and power,” said strength and conditioning coach Michael Wu. “The difference is the emphasis on a particular aspect of performance.”
Although short interval and long interval training both have unique benefits in athletics, individual players have different preferences in training.
“People might be more likely to do [short interval training] because it takes less time. For people who are on a tight time schedule, carving out 15 minutes is a lot easier than half an hour,” said athletic director Steve Sell. “You can mix it up, as there’s a little more variety of things, so people might just find it a lot more interesting.”
Different sports exercise different parts of the body, meaning that one type of training is more suitable than another depending on the athlete’s sport. Sports such as football, sprinting and discus have a high anaerobic (involving quick bursts of energy), strength and power demand, which is the focus of short interval training.
Long interval training is more catered towards athletes who play sports with high aerobic (which increases heart and breathing rate) endurance and strength demands, like cross country and long distance swimming.
“For example, in tennis, you have a point, which could last anywhere from between two seconds to 10 seconds, where you’re running, it’s intense, and then you stop,” Sell said. “There’s always some sprinting and resting, sprinting and resting, so I think most sports have intervals where you’ll go really fast, and then you’ll have a break. That’s just the nature of the sport.”
However, despite the benefits, interval training carries a high risk for athletes, making them more prone to injury.
“An unbalanced program will not only have a less than optimal benefit to the athlete, but it can also potentially injure them directly or indirectly,” Wu said. “Athletes’ performance is a direct reflection of how they train, so the art of designing a program using long and short interval training is how to make sure that each aspect of performance is incorporated while allowing the body optimal time to rest.”
Comparing the two different types of training, each have different benefits and consequences for different sports. Although research on interval training is constantly being updated, athletes, as well as coaches, already have their preferences regarding training and exercise.
