interval training or regular workout??
 

Hi,
I have recently picked up going to the gym again after a break of few months and i try to get in at least 50 - 60 mins of cardio 5 - 6 days a week. The other day, i tried interval training on cross trainer for 20 mins and found that although it felt more strenuos, my calories burnt were lesser than when i do a regular workout. since, calories burnt do matter, i am now confused as to stick with my regular routine or proceed with interval training. Any thoughts ????

I have heard that HITT and/or interval training burns calories at a faster rate even after the workout has ended. That's why so many people like it better than a steady-state workout.

I'm a little skeptical of that, though. I still believe that if I work out at a decent intensity for an hour, I have got to burn more calories than I would if I just did a 20-minute HITT workout, afterburn or not.

What are you using to judge your calorie burn? A heart rate monitor? The trackers on the machines themselves are notoriously inaccurate. If you are certain you are getting an accurate measure of calories burned, then what you do depends on what your goals are. If your main goal for working out is to burn calories, then you should stick with the routine that burns the most calories. However, if your goal is fitness, there's a lot of evidence that interval training gives you faster gains in fitness.

I do both and love it. It keeps things mixed up and keeps your body from getting used to any one thing.

i will always do intervals....steady-state cardio anything bores the h*ll out of me at the gym...some days my intervals are walk and slow-jog....other days it can be walk and then high-speed sprints...some days it involves inclines...but that's the reason i stick with intervals...it keeps me interested

Mix it up! Don't rely on the machines' calorie indicators. For me I need to do intervals because my sport is interval based. Bursts of great effort and then occasional recovery.