Is its safe to stop between intervals on the treadmill?
Usually when I run intervals on the treadmill I warm up for a few minutes and then set the machine to my desired speed and begin training. Between intervals I stop completely jumping off to the sides to rest while the machine is still running and then after my desired rest period I jump back on.
The other week while I was doing this, someone in the gym came over to tell me that what I was doing is very dangerous, because making sudden stop while your heart rate is up is unhealthy. Now I understand that what he is saying is mostly true as I know that at the end of a cardio workout, cooling down is advisable in order to bring the heart rate down slowly.
Why doesn't the same rule apply to football players? They only run for a few seconds at a time at full intensity bringing their heart rates very high only to come to a sudden stop at the end of the play. That was my logic when I was stopping suddenly for a few seconds to catch my breath in preparation for my next sprint. Is what I'm doing really dangerous or is it ok for me to continue running intervals in this manner?
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HIIT (High Intensity Interval Training) as you describe is a very acceptable, if not a prefered method of training. According to the Tabata study:
.. adequate high-intensity intermittent training may improve both anaerobic and aerobic energy supplying systems significantly, probably through imposing intensive stimuli on both systems.
Can HIIT be dangerous? Yes, it is a more advanced exercise technique in that it is not for the beginner who is in poor shape. Nor is it for someone with heart problems without proper supervision.
Can intervals be safe? Yes, provided that you exercise within your tolerance.
HIIT requires that you exercise intensely for short intervals followed by short rest intervals as you described. You must rest during the rest periods so that you can muster the ability to hit another intense interval.
The rest period can be active or passive. In an active rest period you would continue a low intensity exercise like walking. In a passive rest period you would just try to recuperate and reduce your heart rate. (Personally, an active rest interval works best for me.)
I don't have access to the original Tabata study, but in the abstract it simply mentions "rest" periods without specifying whether it was active or passive. If you have any concerns, just walk during the rest period. Other studies show that active rests are superior to passive rest intervals in that they provide a better quality of work interval and produce lower lactate levels.
The ideal for safety and effectiveness when doing interval training is to wear a heart rate monitor and exercise into your target range during your exercise interval (but avoid exceeding your maximum heart rate), and then reduce your heart rate to your target recovery range during your rest period.
Cool Down - As you stated, the reason that a cool down period is recommended after exercise is so that the fast beating heart and respiratory systems can gradually return to normal as you cool down. The gradual cool down keeps blood circulating, rather than pooling in the muscles. Cool down after HIIT just as you would any other exercise.
If you stop suddenly it will be dangerous for your body. Instead you should try walking around instead which will help your heart rate more than stopping suddenly.
Football players run for a few seconds to bring their heart rate way up and will come to a sudden stop? If you notice most of them will be walking around and not stopping at a spot.
Stopping suddenly also distrupts the flow of blood to the brain and working muscles.
When you stop suddenly the blood pools in the joints and dangerously interupts the flow of blod to the brain...where 70% of our blood flows. This cuold result in a stoke or hemmorage in the brain. THE ONLY tim etis is acceptable is "sports specific training".
Like football etc. It does not help distance running enough to offset the dangers.
You can stop suddenly at any stage of your workout. No safety issues here. But why jump on and off a moving treadmill when you can easily stop the treadmill gradually.
Stopping suddenly CAN be very dangerous in a FEW cases. People who inherited Brugada's syndrome, which has no other symptoms (but should show up on an electrocardiogram), can drop dead in these circumstances.
End your treadmill workout by gradually reducing your incline and pace until your heart rate returns to a calmer level.
Some treadmills are equipped with heart-rate and cool-down features that will notify you of your current heart-rate and gradually reduce your pace and incline until the treadmill stops completely.
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