Ideas for Interval Drill Exercises

Hi, I'm starting to increase the amount of endurance training in my routine and to do that, I've been doing sprint/walk intervals on the old treadmill that I have, as sprints seem to be the most "bang for your buck" exercise in endurance (or at least close).

The best case scenario that I can think of would be having access to a hill for hill sprints, but since there is no such thing around here, I'm looking for alternative, but equally potent, exercises. Can anyone suggest any?

I've done KB swings but I really don't understand how they are considered great endurance exercises. I always stress of the muscular endurance of my lower back and legs waaaaay more than my cardiovascular system. I'm thinking about mixing in some 20 seconds on, 10 seconds off, some 1 minute on, 45 seconds off, 3 minutes on, 1 minute off, etc. Intervals over a broad range of times.

Thanks!

jump rope.

you need something that cycles pretty fast

make sure you are just doing a traditional KB swing, you can cycle that faster

it is hard to beat sprints

burpees

For general conditioning I like to do a circuit of Jump Rope, Hindu Squats, and Hindu Push Ups using the following rep scheme.

X no. of jumps, x/2 squats, x/4 push ups.

If you're interested in hill sprints, why not do some form of sled pushing?

Nick, jump rope is a good idea. I had forgotten about it!

Blairbob, that's what I was thinking. KB swings just don't seem to stress my cardiovascular system... Maybe I'm not going heavy enough, but swings don't really require much movement! Ross Enamait has a video on "band sprints" which sound intriguing, though.

Mr Brady, that's a cool protocol. I actually have a homemade sled, but I don't really have enough room to do anything but start a sprint. Only about 20 feet diagonally.

Thanks for the ideas, guys. I'm going to put something together.

kettlebell snatches will smoke you, even with a 36lb. bell. not sure if that would interfere with your Btgb training, but it might be worth a try. 200 snatches in 10 minutes should do the trick. sets of burpees, interspersed with jumping rope briefly while trying to catch your breath, also work well. good luck!

12 min of 30sec kb swings 30sec jogging or skipping rope. You won't feel the same about kb swings after that

Haha! I WILL try that on Wednesday! And KB snatches do seem to be harder. I probably need to make a 40 lb KB, because right now I'm only using a 25 lb barbell plate (it has handle gaps). For now, I will try using one 25 lb BB plate in each hand.