I have been warming up for 10 minutes, but I might shorten that and see what I think.
As to interval lengths time wise, the old Tabata rule was 20 intense, 10 seconds normal.
But that has been changing.
I found the 20/10 routine kept the overall workout too short for my liking (I like at least 30 minutes total).
I do a 30 sec intense (wide open--HR above 160) followed by 2 minutes normal (HR initally at 135-ish and later in the session 145-150). I think you can mix and match the interval periods to see what works best for you. And I would define what works best as that which gives you the best results AND what is the most fun. If it ain't fun, you probably won't keep doing it. I really like the routine I am using at present because it feels so damn good.
I sometimes use the last 5 minutes of the session to row at a normal pace with a HR of 150-155 (as sort of a cool down).
The fun thing about this kind of work out is that you are so busy keeping track of the time that it is over before you know it.
Thanks for the reply.
How do your actual Heart Rates compute in terms of % Max HR, i.e.
Is normal is 70-80% ?
Is intense is 90+% ?
For the last year or so, I’ve been doing 30 minutes of elliptical at a constant 80-90% that equates to 130-140 BPM.
As a former all-star athlete, the lack of progress is quite frustrating.