Just when you think that it is very easy to explain what intensity training is, you realize that this notion is wrong. A lot of people would often confuse “intensity” with “intensiveness” and “intense.” That is why before we go any further, let us first differentiate the three terms.

When you speak of intensity, you are actually referring to difference between the used load and the maximum volume that you can handle. It has its own scientific formula, which you are going to learn later on. Intensiveness, on the other hand, talks about those various methods that may cause someone to experience fatigue. These would include super-sets. They could be referred to as intensive, because they may require a lot of repetitions that would definitely make someone very tired or pushed to the limit in the end. However, it does not really mean that the exercises are of high intensity. They could also be of low intensity.

Lastly, we have “intense,” which is more related to your perception than to actual fitness movements. This is subjective or relative, which means a bench press may be considered intense by someone who is not used to it and not intense by a professional athlete who spend a good amount of time doing it.

So what is intensity training?

As mentioned, when it comes to physical fitness, you should be more concerned on intensity training. This is, after all, the standard. When one speaks of intensity training, he or she is referring to the level of difficulty in performing a particular set or repetition. It may differ depending on what exercises you are trying to do. For example, if you are doing cardiovascular exercises, intensity would be a measure of how fast you run on the road or on your treadmill. If you are into powerlifting, intensity is the measure of how much weight you can lift without feeling any fatigue or exhaustion.

Intensity is often measured in terms of percentage. For example, if you are able to carry a weight that is 50 pounds, and at the particular point in time, you are carrying 30 pounds, your intensity level then is 30 x 100/50. This means that your actual intensity level is just 50 percent. It is obvious that you are not using your maximum capacity at this point.

What are the different kinds of intensity trainings?

There are actually various types of intensity trainings that you can choose from. Of course, they will have different effects on you.

One kind of intensity training is the low-intensity one. If you are in low-intensity training, you would have to perform the exercises at a much slower pace or at a much longer time. This is often considered by those who want to stay on their workout routine for a much longer time. Since they are going to be able to build up cardiovascular strength over time, they would have more stamina to do the exercises and burn calories even on a daily basis.

An exact opposite of the low-intensity training is high-intensity training. This means that you would have to exert as much effort as you can at a very short amount of time. A lot of people would prefer high-intensity training because it allows them to burn more calories and build muscles a lot faster. For example, at a 60 percent heart rate and 14 burned calories for every minute, you can actually get rid of 8.40 fats per minute. This may be higher than increasing your heart rate to 90 percent but burning just 7 calories for every minute. You can only get rid of 6.30 fats per minute.