Liane Levy-Green, a longtime certified personal trainer, running coach and fitness professional, found a way to combine her two great passions: strength training and running. In March 2014, she opened Burn 1000, her fitness studio. 

The bonus? 

Levy-Green, 46, helps people improve their lives by schooling them in high-intensity interval training. Her clients report losing weight, lowering their cholesterol, building up muscle, trimming excess inches and experiencing higher levels of energy. 

“I want people to live a healthier lifestyle,” Levy-Green said. “I am from South Africa, and I’ve found the lifestyle and the eating habits here are so different from there.”

Levy-Green moved to St. Louis from Atlanta in 2002 after working as a certified fitness trainer there. Here, she trained former Rams player Isaac Bruce. She made time recently to talk about her work.

What exactly is interval training?

It’s a 60-minute, high-intensity workout that incorporates short bursts of fast-paced cardiovascular activity with weight training, which helps support the skeletal system. You alternate quick bursts of speed that get your heart rate up with brief periods of rest. It’s the quickest way to lose weight and gain strength and muscle. It’s very effective.

Why does this training work?

Your body requires more oxygen to get through a fast-paced workout, and that oxygen consumption increases your metabolism so you can burn more calories — up to 1,000 — even after the workout ends. It’s much more effective than 60 minutes of stationary cardio work.

What is a typical workout like? 

We do 30 fast-paced minutes on our specialized treadmills — though you can break up that time into five or 10-minute segments – combined with 30 minutes of floor exercise such as cross-body training, calisthenics or strength training. Each class is different and, over time, people become addicted to this way of working out.

Can clients track how they are doing as they work out? 

Yes. We use a heart rate monitoring system, and if you plug into it, you can see how many calories you are burning and what your heart rate is.

What is satisfying about this work for you?

I enjoy seeing how grateful people are for the changes in their bodies and their health, and seeing them determined not to give up after they have reached their fitness goals. It’s great for me to be in that environment, watching people make positive lifestyle changes and become healthier and stronger. 

Is interval training for all ages?

No matter what your fitness level, we can adjust the training to suit your level. For instance, we have a handful of people who do power walks instead of using the treadmill. We also make modifications in the floor exercises for people with limitations in the back or knees. We make sure no one misses out on any of the benefits of interval training. 

You honor successful clients on your website (www.burn1000usa.com) to motivate others. Talk a bit about that. 

Yes, we encourage our clients to submit their transformation stories. The Burner of the Month gets a free month of classes and some gifts.

Have you always been athletic?

I have, but I’m better about it now than when I was younger. I didn’t always have quite the ambition I have now. I was a track runner, but I ran because I wanted to, not to win. Then, in 2003, a friend got me started with the marathon craziness. I’ve run about 20.

Were you brought up in a Jewish home?  

We were Anglican, but I converted when I was 19 and became an Orthodox Jew. Now our family belongs to United Hebrew Congregation.

What motivated you to convert?

When I was 15, I met a Jewish girl and we became good friends. I liked the emphasis in Judaism on family, on togetherness, on the religious celebrations — it was a strong connect for me. It was the religion I wanted to be.

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