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MISSOULA- Many folks say that the popular exercise of interval training is the answer to weight loss, so Dr. Brad Pickhardt took a closer to look to find out more about the regimen.

Interval training is a series of alternating high and low exertion intervals: aerobic and anaerobic. It can be biking, running, rowing, anything.

We talked with fitness expert Mike Rankin at the PEAK Health and Wellness Center in Missoula to find out some of the benefits to the program and to see whether or not interval training helps folks lose weight.

"Generally, in aerobic workouts, people get there heart rates to a certain intensity and then sustain that intensity for a period of time. Interval training is sprinkling in some balance of very high intensity training-like say a minute-and then coming back down for regular, what we would term, aerobic level," Rankin explained.

"What they're finding with interval training, and the reason it's catching on so much, is we're finding that we can burn more calories and get more of a conditioning benefit in a shorter period of time," he continued.

"Interval training is for somebody who's been exercising for at least six months. That has a good aerobic condition base already. It is definitely not for beginners. It is definitely for athletes who want to improve their performance, both anaerobically and aerobically and it's good for people that really are wanting to try to up their calorie burn to lose more weight, Rankin told us.

"The only true to weight loss is diet intervention where we reduce a person's calorie level. Exercise, no matter what the form, no matter how intense, no matter what program, is going to aid us because it does help us burn calories," concluded Rankin.

The bottom line is that successful, sustainable, weight loss continues to be simple math- calories in and calories out. Exercise will burn more, but eating less remains the key to good health.