Finding the right high-intensity workout options for you can have tremendous ramifications on your life and your health.  For those just getting started in the high-intensity workout realm, it can be quite confusing.  There are two broad choices that can offer you tremendous benefits. 

Interval Training – This form of training has long been used by long distance runners, sprinters and even by mountaineers.  As the name seems to imply, this form of high-intensity workout operates on a basis of intervals of high-speed or intensity work, followed by intervals of rest.  For example, a long distance runner might run "flat out" for a distance of 400 meters, and then walk for another 400 meters.  The point of this form of training is to help induce fat loss, as well as to improve endurance in the athlete.  Of course, there are as many forms of interval training as there are athletes, but the benefits of this high-intensity workout are undeniable.

Plyometrics – Plyometrics is another form of high-intensity workout that offers profound results for the athlete.  One of the underlying principles of plyometrics is its use to create muscle memory, or trained responses to specific conditions and needs. Through specific loading and unloading sequences, the muscles needed for a specific sport or activity can be strengthened and conditioned to respond on specific ways.  It can also increase the enervation and elasticity of muscle fibers within those groups.  Plyometrics enhances muscle performance by increasing the elastic energy found in muscle fiber through lengthening the muscle prior to muscular contraction.

Why do you need a high-intensity workout?  While some of the benefits are obvious, others can be more difficult to define.  For instance, both plyometrics (jump training) and interval training can increase your metabolic rate and help burn fat throughout the entire body. Of course, it also helps strengthen muscles and increase endurance (particularly interval training).