30-60-90 Mixed Interval Training Workout

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Updated on October 22, 2020

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Blurred legs running on treadmills at the gym — Spencer Platt / Staff / Getty Images

If you're getting bored with your workouts, interval training is one of the best ways to spice things up. With interval training, you push your body out of its comfort zone for short periods of time. Not only will this help you burn more calories, it makes your workout fly by since you're only focusing on one interval at a time.

Even better is high-intensity interval training (HIIT). This kind of training is designed so that you're working at very high intensities during some intervals. This helps build endurance, increases your anaerobic threshold, and gives you a really great afterburn.

The afterburn includes the calories your body burns to get your body back to its pre-exercise state. That means you're burning more calories without having to work out more.

How 30-60-90 Training Works

This workout takes things to the next level by cycling you through three different levels of intensity. During your work sets, which range from 30 seconds in duration to 90 seconds, you will work at a very hard intensity.

On a perceived exertion scale, this hard intensity is the equivalent to a Level 9. Other times during the workout, your intensity would be considered moderately hard, which is around a Level 8, or somewhat hard, which is about a Level 6 or 7.

Don't feel like you need to keep the same settings for every interval. As you get more fatigued, you may have to go slower or reduce the resistance in order to stay at the suggested perceived exertion. That's normal, although it can be motivating to try for the same settings each time.

Equipment Needed

You can do this workout on any cardio machine (set to manual mode). You can use a treadmill, elliptical machine, stair stepper, or stationary cycle. You can also do it outdoors, such as by running and biking, varying your speed to change the intensity at each interval.

If you happen to have hills nearby, you can incorporate these into your intervals as well.

Be sure that you have a water bottle with you as this is a long workout and you should be taking a drink at the end of each interval block. Drink whenever you are thirsty as well, and take a good drink of water at the end of the workout.

The 30-60-90 Mixed Interval Training Workout

This is a high-intensity workout that may not be suitable for beginners. Be sure to consult your doctor before starting any exercise program, especially if you have a chronic condition or health concerns.

Time	Intensity/Speed	Perceived Exertion
5 min	Warm up at an easy to moderate pace	4 - 5
5 min	Baseline: Increase the speed gradually to slightly harder than comfortable	5
	Mixed Interval Block 1
30 seconds	Increase your pace or resistance to work all out	9
30 seconds	Reduce the speed to a comfortable pace to fully recover	4 - 5
60 seconds	Increase your pace or resistance to work very hard	8
60 seconds	Reduce the speed to a comfortable pace to fully recover	4 - 5
90 seconds	Increase the pace or resistance to work at a moderate-hard pace	7
90 seconds	Reduce the speed to a comfortable pace to fully recover	4 - 5
	Mixed Interval Block 2
90 seconds	Increase the pace or resistance to work at a moderate-hard pace	7
90 seconds	Reduce the speed to a comfortable pace to fully recover	4 - 5
60 seconds	Increase your pace or resistance to work very hard	8
60 seconds	Reduce the speed to a comfortable pace to fully recover	4 - 5
30 seconds	Increase your pace or resistance to work all out	9
30 seconds	Reduce the speed to a comfortable pace to fully recover	4 - 5
	Mixed Interval Block 3
30 seconds	Increase your pace or resistance to work all out	9
30 seconds	Reduce your speed to a comfortable pace to fully recover	4 - 5
60 seconds	Increase your pace or resistance to work very hard	8
60 seconds	Reduce your speed to a comfortable pace to fully recover	4 - 5
90 seconds	Increase the pace or resistance to work at a moderate-hard pace	7
90 seconds	Reduce speed to a comfortable pace to fully recover	4 - 5
	Mixed Interval Block 4
90 seconds	Increase the pace or resistance to work at a moderate to hard pace	7
90 seconds	Reduce your speed to a comfortable pace to fully recover	4 - 5
60 seconds	Increase your pace or resistance to work very hard	8
60 seconds	Reduce your speed to a comfortable pace to fully recover	4 - 5
30 seconds	Increase your pace or resistance to work all out	9
30 seconds	Reduce your speed to a comfortable pace to fully recover	4 - 5
	Cool Down
5 min	Cool down at an easy pace	3 - 4
Total:	39 Minutes

4 Sources

Verywell Fit uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read our editorial process to learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.

Jung WS, Hwang H, Kim J, Park HY, Lim K. Effect of interval exercise versus continuous exercise on excess post-exercise oxygen consumption during energy-homogenized exercise on a cycle ergometer. J Exerc Nutrition Biochem. 2019;23(2):45-50. doi:10.20463/jenb.2019.0016
Zickl D. Runner's World. How Many Calories Do You Really Burn Once Your Workout Is Over?. July 6, 2018.
Popkin BM, D'anci KE, Rosenberg IH. Water, hydration, and health. Nutr Rev. 2010;68(8):439-58. doi:10.1111/j.1753-4887.2010.00304.x
Su L, Fu J, Sun S, et al. Effects of HIIT and MICT on cardiovascular risk factors in adults with overweight and/or obesity: A meta-analysis. PLoS ONE. 2019;14(1):e0210644. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0210644

By Paige Waehner, CPT
Paige Waehner is a certified personal trainer, author of the "Guide to Become a Personal Trainer," and co-author of "The Buzz on Exercise & Fitness."

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