In recent years interval routines have become popular in the fitness industry. Trainers have found these workouts to be effective for clients wanting to reach any number of fitness goals. You can also follow interval routines from the comfort of your own home, and still achieve impressive results.
In recent years interval routines have become popular in the fitness industry. Trainers have found these workouts to be effective for clients wanting to reach any number of fitness goals. You can also follow interval routines from the comfort of your own home, and still achieve impressive results.
This kind of training is a type of cardio and is great for burning calories and increasing endurance. One of the best things about these routines is the way they let you get in an effective workout in a pretty short amount of time.
One of the most popular interval training routines used today is the 30-20-10 workout routine. It is a high-intensity routine that has been found to work with multiple types of athletes at various experience levels. Not only does it increase your performance, but you get to burn plenty of calories too, in a short routine that can fit into any schedule.
What Is The 30-20-10 Workout?
The first studies that were done about the 30-20-10 used running exercises to see just how effective this routine could be. Before doing the routine, runners were asked to do a short warm-up before starting. They would then spend 30 seconds jogging, followed by 20 seconds of regular running, and then 10 seconds in a full sprint.
The routine should be repeated four continuous times. In a study from the University of Copenhagen in Denmark that lasted for seven weeks, the runners involved would go for a row minute jog between each routine, and they did the entire cycle twice. While the 30-20-10 workout routine can be done with running exercises, it can be applied to a number of cardio movements.
The Pros and Cons
Any kind of training routine will have pros and cons. These can impact each person differently, so you should be aware of the good and bad sides of the 30-20-10 workout before you start doing it, or recommending it to clients.
Pros
Time-Saving
The 30-20-10 workout routine is one of the most time-saving interval training routines you will find. It can fit into any schedule, no matter how busy you are. All you need to do is commit 30 minutes or less to working out, and you can reach your fitness and health goals in no time. The time-saving capabilities of the 30-20-10 workout don’t diminish how effective it is, and many pro athletes trust this training routine.
Adaptable
The 30-20-10 workout can be adapted into any fitness niche, from running to yoga, and is great for working out the entire body. It has become popular with running movements, but you can use any kind of full-body workout with this training routine. It can also be adapted into any work-life and personal schedule since it doesn’t require much of a time commitment.
Simple
If you are after a simple and straightforward training routine then the 30-20-10 workout is the way to go. You can utilize whichever full-body exercises you want to, or stick with the popular running movements. You can also choose just one exercise, and do it at different levels of intensity. Make sure to include rest times and stretching as well.
Cons
Doesn’t Work As Well on Machines
The 30-20-10 workout routine might not work as well on exercise machines, according to some fitness experts. These machines don’t always work out your entire body, which is key to getting effective results with this routine.
Not the Best Routine For Everyone
Even though the 30-20-10 workout routine has been found to be pretty effective, that doesn’t mean it will work with everyone. Not every kind of fitness routine will fit into your lifestyle, and if the 30-20-10 workout doesn’t then there are other interval training approaches that you can give a shot.
Why Is It So Popular
One of the main reasons that the 30-20-10 workout routine is so popular is because of how effective, yet simple it is. This is one of the most straightforward training interval routines out there, and it can be applied to any kind of full-body workout. You can use just one exercise, or multiple ones, at varying intensity levels and still reap amazing results.
Another reason this routine is so popular is because it only takes about 20 to 30 minutes out of your schedule each day, so you barely have to make changes to your daily schedule to fit it in.
Who benefits from 30-20-10 training?
The 30-20-10 workout routine can benefit many different types of athletes and varying fitness levels. It has been found effective for beginners, as well as professionals.
Runners
Studies have found this kind of training workout to be highly effective for runners. It has been shown to help runners increase their performance over a fairly short period of time, whereas other workouts take longer to see results.
Beginners
Beginners in the fitness world can also benefit greatly from the 30-20-10 workout because it is one of the most effective ways for increasing endurance. This training routine builds up both performance and endurance in less time than it takes other routines to achieve the same results.
Other Athletes
Athletes of any level should consider trying out the 30-20-10 workout routine in order to see how effective it can be for them. Despite this routine being made popular for the way it benefits runners, it can be a great fitness tool for any kind of athlete to master.
How to do the 30-20-10 routine
The 30-20-10 routine will look a little different depending on the kind of workout you are doing. Runners will alternate from jogging to sprinting, and other cardio workouts will vary in intensity levels.
For Runners
- After warming up with a light jog you can start this workout.
- Jog for 30 seconds, run normally for 20 seconds, then sprint for 10 seconds.
- Continuously repeat the routine four times to equal a five-minute workout.
- Spend a two-minute break jogging before repeating the 30-20-10 cycle two or three more times.
- Use a light jog to cool down.
For Other Athletes
- Warm-up for a few minutes with some light stretches.
- Pick one, or multiple, full-body workouts and cycle through reps of 30, 20, and 10.
- Repeat the routine four times.
- Take a two-minute break.
- Do the 30-20-10 routine two or three more times, with a two-minute break between each one.
- Cool down by stretching.
Exercises to Include
Athletes who are not runners might not know what kind of exercises they can include in the 30-20-10 routine, but you have plenty of options to consider.
Some of the exercises you can add to this routine include;
- Step-ups
- Push-ups
- Body weight squats
- Walking lunges
- Burpees
- X-Jumps
Wrapping Up
There are numerous interval training routines you can add to your fitness regime, but the 30-20-10 workout is one of the most popular and effective. Studies have shown how well it works with runners, but it can be adapted to fit with any kind of full-body workout. Not only is it effective and adaptable, but this routine only takes around 20 to 30 minutes a day out of your schedule. It can fit into the busiest of lives and will give you impressive results in a shorter period of time than other routines can.
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About the Author:
Cory McKane
Cory is a huge fan of fitness - and an even bigger fan of helping you with your fitness. He's started on his journey with WeStrive back in 2015 and has been building it ever since.