30-60-90 Mixed Interval Training Workout

By
Paige Waehner
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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Paige Waehner
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Reviewed by Tara Laferrara, CPT on October 23, 2020
Tara Laferrara is a certified NASM personal trainer, yoga teacher, and fitness coach. She also created her own online training program, the TL Method.
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Tara Laferrara, CPT
on October 23, 2020
Blurred legs running on treadmills at the gym
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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
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