I challenged you with a new interval program a while back, so to help you rise up to the challenge,  I decided to share  an effective and challenging program called Descending Intervals.  It doesn’t take a genius to figure out why they’re called Descending Intervals.  Basically you perform the longer intervals first (90 seconds), and work your way down to the shortest ones (30 seconds).  Research has shown that descending intervals elicit a higher testosterone and growth hormone output than ascending intervals (where the interval time progressively gets longer as the program progresses).[i]

This program produces great results for anyone who has the goal of decreasing body fat or stimulating lean body mass (muscle).  If your goal is to burn through muscle mass  and continue to store excess body fat then continue to stick to the steady-state cardio (remember SGS’s Cardio Queens?) and you’ll achieve your goals in no time. But you are a SGS reader, and our goals are to achieve a lean, muscular and fit physique by applying the latest research and strategies!

The program below can be completed in 25 minutes and if you’re not familiar with the “Killin” and “Chillin” terminology used, I’ll summarize it up for you.

  • Killin: You’re literally working your ass off at a maximum effort for whatever the given time is.  If you don’t HATE the feeling you’re experiencing when you’re in “killin’”  it, then you’re not going hard enough. COMFORT KILLS!
  • Chillin: This doesn’t mean you completely stop moving.  You simply lower the resistance to a level where you’re able to recover before the next bout  of “killin’” it begins.  Never stay completely still between intervals!

DESCENDING INTERVALS

ROUND ONE:

90 Seconds Killin 2 Minutes Chillin Repeat 2X

 

ROUND TWO:

60 Seconds Killin 90 Seconds Chillin Repeat 4X

 

ROUND THREE:           

30 Seconds Killin 60 Seconds Chillin Repeat 4X

 

ROUND FOUR:

20 Seconds Killin 30 Seconds Chillin Repeat 2X

(Work Time = 9.5 minutes : Total Time = 25 minutes)

If you’ve been living under a rock and need some other interval programs to keep you entertained, check out the links below.

Two Interval Programs Designed to Shed Some Fat

Fat Burning Incline Treadmill Program

Burn 9 Times More Fat


[i] Meckel, Y., Nemet, D., Bar-Sela, S., Radom-Aizik, S. Hormonal and Inflammatory Responses to Different Types of Sprint Interval Training. Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research. 2011. 25(8), 2161-2169.