Train reasonably in less than 30 minutes – does it work? Danish scientists from Copenhagen University have developed an interval training method, which is suitable for all regular runners (due to high intensity it is not for beginners) and can improve your performance quicker than other running programs. The researcher Jens Bangbo concludes, that oxygen uptake increases by 4% within just a few weeks and running speed increases noticeably. Not to mention fat burning as well! Besides, the change between trotting, jogging and sprinting according to the 30-20-10 running formula brings some variety to your runs. This is how it works:  

The 30-20-10 training plan for runners

The 30-20-10 training plan looks something like this: a)  Warm-up: 5 minutes of warming up, stretching and getting your circulation goin b)  Interval set
  1.   30 seconds of slow running, then
  2.   20 seconds running at normal speed, then subsequently
  3.   10 seconds running at full pace
  4.   A total of 5 repetitions
  5.   2 minutes slow-running break (the whole interval set takes 7 minutes)
c)       Two more interval sets as described in b) (the whole interval training therefore lasts 21 minutes) d)      Cool-down: 5 minutes You can replace your regular training with this routine. If you normally run 2 or more times a week, then you can train according to the 30-20-10 formula on one of the days. Depending on how keen you are, the plan also works with 10-20-30 intervals…  
Tip: We recommend that you always bear in mind your heart rate during this interval training, so that you can stop when it gets too high or you can reduce the pace a little. Right at the beginning you won’t be able to get the pace exactly right. Heart-rate monitors can be very useful for something like this.Smartphone apps are another alternative - you can program the interval training into them so that it beeps whenever you need to change pace. This modern technology is practical, isn’t it? ;-)
  What do you think of the 30-20-10 formula? In a nutshell I would say that it is definitely worth a try! We look forward to hearing from you!