

Interval Training doesn't work as you think it would - freshfey
http://www.tmuscle.com/free_online_article_issue/issue_636?s=indexTitle#interval-training-doesn-t-work

======
alf
How did an article from t nation end up on hacker news... I wish I could down
vote.

This is not a quality article. The article titled with the incendiary
"Interval training doesn't work," doesn't say that it's primarily concerned
with fat loss for bodybuilders (I guess the t nation should have been a give
away), then goes on to cite studies where it does work. Its like Mark Young
wrote this essay like one goes about a 5th grade science fair project. He
starts off with a premise, then goes on to find evidence that refutes his
premise, but sticks to it anyway?

(I admit I was baited by the title and only skimmed his essay until I realized
it was full of shit)

P.S. to all those looking to get in shape: Sports "science" is junk and mostly
ignored by coaches & athletes. If a study came out tomorrow that said
"Interval training doesn't work" coaches and athletes would still use it
because it's effective and has been for the past 50 years.

~~~
cakeface
If something is effective and has been for the past 50 years then it seems
like it would be easy to run a scientific study that proves it. If the science
disagrees, or at least doesn't conclusively prove that it works, then it seems
to me that our common sense assumptions may be wrong.

Case in point would be running in modern running shoes. Almost every coach and
doctor has claimed that modern running shoes are the way to go. Yet in the
past 40 years since they have been used there hasn't been a study proving that
you will run faster or get less injuries than if you just ran barefoot.

~~~
alf
I wasn't trying to say science is useless when it comes to sports, just sports
science tends to be very very bad scientifically as a whole.

Modern recreational running shoes are the PERFECT example of how wrong sports
science can be. All the scientific evidence from the past few decades
supported the use of heavily cushioned, motion controlling running shoes to
prevent injuries. This is why doctors recommend it. It was coaches and
athletes that stuck to what worked - flats (take a look at any track and
field/racing shoe) and barefoot training. No track coach in her right mind
that would have advocated for the use of a heavy cushioned running shoe for a
competitive athlete.

------
juxtaposition
From the conclusion of the article: "go 8 seconds on and 12 seconds off for 60
rounds", where "on" is max effort, what does "off" mean? Is it medium effort
or zero effort or is it something that you modify as your endurance increases?

"Sprint -> Jog" or "Sprint -> Walk" or "Sprint -> Lie on the ground,
motionless" ?

~~~
fmora
He means "Sprint->Jog"

~~~
dkarl
I.e., fartlek! <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fartlek>

I've been doing that for a long time (though it isn't exactly fartlek if you
do it by yourself) to train for soccer, because it mimics the process of
repeatedly sprinting and recovering. It's also easier on my joints than
sustained running at a steady speed.

------
loewenskind
Interesting. I wonder how long it's going to take for people to actually start
doing proper scientific studies in this area? Are people who make money off
the voodoo that is today's weight loss programs lobbying to stop grants into
this kind of research or something?

------
dejb
Is it just me or do those photos make you suspect that this isn't about
optimising for health? The author explicitly says it isn't for performance.
Not sure how many avid bodybuilders there are at HN.

~~~
freshfey
I'm not sure, but I don't think the pictures are correlated to the article.
There are just some pro bodybuilders, go for the content! ;-)

