Learn how you can use high-intensity interval training to boost your cardiovascular fitness. 🚲
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| The cycle is an excellent tool for you to use with high-intensity interval training. (Photo by Ketut Subiyanto from Pexels: https://www.pexels.com/photo/a-couple-using-elliptical-trainers-4853854/ ) |
Many people are busy. They work. They have a family to care for. They have interests to pursue. Maybe cardiovascular training is one of those interests. But it’s probably not something people typically devote hours and hours of time to. Thankfully, interval training, or more specifically, high-intensity interval training (HIIT) can help you be more efficient with your training time by providing you with an effective bout of exercise.
It’s widely recommended that the minimum amount of low- to moderate-intensity exercise a person needs each week is 150 minutes. Or about 30 minutes on most days of the week.
The very busy people might not think they have even 10 minutes to spare, much less 30.
You can try this routine the next time you practice your cardiovascular training to get up to 40 minutes of exercise in only 20 minutes.
In this example, I used the exercise bike, or cycle ergometer, but you can adapt it to most other forms of exercise. Follow this protocol the next time you want to train your cardiovascular fitness.
Protocol
This will take you 20 minutes to complete. Adjust the cycle seat position to your fit. Start at a slow (but fast enough to get your heart rate up to a warm-up zone) pace for 4 minutes. Transition to a moderate pace (heart rate zones 3 & 4) for two minutes. Reduce your pace back to an easy or warm-up zone (zones 1 & 2) for two minutes. Increase your pace to a high intensity (heart rate zones 4 & 5) for one minute. Recover at an easy or warm-up pace for two minutes. Repeat the one-minute high-intensity interval followed by a two-minute recovery interval two more times. Increase your pace to a moderate (zones 3 & 4) intensity for one minute. Cool down with an easy pace for two minutes.
| Time Interval (minutes) | Heart Rate Zone | Relative Intensity |
|---|---|---|
| 4 | 1 | Warm-up |
| 2 | 3-4 | Moderate |
| 2 | 1-2 | Warm-up and easy recovery |
| 1 | 4-5 | High |
| 2 | 1-2 | Warm-up and easy recovery |
| 1 | 4-5 | High |
| 2 | 1-2 | Warm-up and easy recovery |
| 1 | 4-5 | High |
| 2 | 1-2 | Warm-up and easy recovery |
| 1 | 3-4 | Moderate |
| 2 | 1-2 | Warm-up and easy recovery |
References
- “American Heart Association Recommendations for Physical Activity in Adults and Kids.” Www.Heart.Org, https://www.heart.org/en/healthy-living/fitness/fitness-basics/aha-recs-for-physical-activity-in-adults. Accessed 25 Jul. 2025.
- “How To Calculate Heart Rate Zones.” Cleveland Clinic, https://health.clevelandclinic.org/exercise-heart-rate-zones-explained. Accessed 25 Jul. 2025.
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