Rock Your Body Challenge: 3s and 5s treadmill challenge

I made up this workout last night and did it this morning. I was planning to post it tomorrow, but I was so excited that I decided to share it tonight. I mentioned I was a huge dork right? (As if it’s not apparent.)

So my goal for the workout was four-fold:

1.) Easy to remember-I hate when magazine workouts are just all over the place, with times and speeds. This is a series of 3 minute and five minute sets.

2.) Hard-I thought it was pretty hard, you should need the recovery intervals, but I have options for make it harder, easier or quicker at the end. Of course, the faster you run, the harder it is!

3.) Not boring-you never have to do the same thing for more than 5 minutes, MAX!

4.) A combo of intervals and tempo runs-calorie killers and fat blasters, respectively!

So here is:

I listed my speeds in mph in parentheses–I get faster as my body warms up. But you should be sprinting at your personal sprint level, tempo running at a comfortably hard pace, and recovering at a slow enough pace to resume normal breathing in 3 minutes.

45 minutes total

Warm up: 3 minutes easy walk or jog (4 mph) Take this time to get psyched. Tell yourself how great your workout is going to be. You are going to get through it and rock it! Tough love version: You took the time to get on the treadmill, so make the most of every minute, otherwise you are wasting your time.

1st Set

3 minute tempo run (6.5 )
3 minute sprint interval (sprint 1 minute , jog 1 minute, sprint 1 minute) (7.5, 6, 7.5)
3 minute tempo run (6.7)

Recovery: 3 minute walk or jog (4)

2nd Set

5 minute tempo run (6.7)
5 minute sprint interval (sprint 1 min., jog 1 min, sprint 1 min., jog 1 min., sprint 1 min.)
(7.5, 6, 7.5, 6, 7.5)
5 minute tempo run (7) You are more than half way WOO-HOO!

Recovery: 3 minute walk or jog (4)

3rd Set

3 minute tempo run (7)
3 minute sprint interval (sprint 1 minute, jog 1 minute, sprint 1 minute) (8, 6,
3 minute tempo run (7)

Cool down:

3 minute walk or jog (4)
Take this time to congratulate yourself for all your effort, the hardest part of your day is behind you! Calories torched, energy up, and the lovely glow radiating from your cheeks!

Make it harder:

-add incline (even just to the recovery intervals)
-run faster
-cut out recovery segments or run them

Make it easier/and or quicker:

-Do jog, sprint, jogs for the intervals
-Cut out second tempo run after each sprint interval (saves 11 minutes)
-Run slower

This was great with 5 minutes of stretching and 10 minutes of ab work this morning. I think next time I will jog the recovery intervals or add a steep incline.

Dusk and Dawn Workouts

SPACING WILL NOT BEHAVE…GRRRRRRRR

Okay before I start, I wanted to share this article with you when I first read it in Runner’s World a couple months ago, but I searched and searched and couldn’t find it on the web. Then today, I came across it on MSN. It’s about two moms who run the Nike Women’s Marathon. It really brings me back to my experience.

Fav line: I officially broke at mile 21. My tears flowed and I choked out, “I just don’t know about this.” Even though I was doing so much better than I had ever thought possible, I didn’t care. I didn’t want to finish. I didn’t want the necklace. I just wanted to be done. Now.

Back to business…

I kind of did a back to back workouts last night and this morning. I just couldn’t get in the mood yesterday morning, so I waited until around 8pm and I have plans tonight, so it had to get in this morning.

This is the view from the gym in my building-from google images.

I did 30 minutes on the elliptical with glute kicker mode on. America’s Best Dance Crew was on, so I watched with subtitles while listening to my ipod.

Then I did 10 minutes on the rower. I really love the rower, I get in the zone so easily.

The I did 3 sets of a strength set that I made up. I really wanted to make it results oriented, so I took my old trainer’s advice and did lower body and upper body moves together with little rest. This gets the heart rate up and apparently blasts fat (we’ll see). Gillian Michaels advises this also, she calls it working large muscle groups with smaller muscle groups.

Here is the routine. 3 sets total.

I use 5 lbs weights because I don’t need bulk. (Maybe next time I will do at least one set with 10s)
-12 forward lunges with overhead press (reps are total not each leg)

-12 hammer curls palms facing toward each other with shoulder raises

-12 plie squats while raising arms together toward chin–like a bowtie

-12 squats with bicep curls

-12 stationary lunges on right with over head presses

-12 stationary lunges on left with tricep kickbacks

-12 calf raises with overhead tricep extensions

-1 set 100 crunches on ball

The view from my window in the morning-not taken by me

Today (circa 6:20am)

10 minute warm up on the elliptical…waiting for a treadmill to open up

Kara Goucher’s endurance boost workout for Nike+. I really just wanted to clock the time, not necessarily go for speed. So I went really, really slow. I am not used to running in the morning any more! So I did the warm up at 5.6mph, the “4 minute sprints” at 6.0mph and the 4 minute recovery at 5.8mph for the first two sets, then bumped up to 6.5 and 6.0 for the last two and 5.6 for the cool down. Total time is 40 minutes

After that I took a water break and then “hit it again” for 15 minutes of sprint/walk intervals. I ran at 8mph for 1 minute and walked at 4mph for 1 minute. I did this to my two versions (huge dork alert) of Get Me Bodied by Beyonce and When I Grow Up by the PCDs.

I made myself stretch for 5 minutes before heading up for a shower. Totally invigorated and super sweaty…a great way to start the day!

Have a great Friday. I have a fun article/post planned for the weekend. hehe

Today’s Workout:lunch hour quickie

I really will try to get in the habit of the daily or weekly workout log! I have been pretty good about high intensity cardio 5-6 days a week, strength with weights 1 day a week and without 2 days a week. At least one day of rest a week. I also walk a lot and try to take the stairs at work (about 80 steep ones to the 4th floor) at every opportunity. I find if I take the elevator even once, I never want to take the stairs again!

Today:

2 miles power walk from train to work.

Lunch hour quickie:
15 minutes on the elliptical, pretty moderate pace at level 8
10 minute run, alternating 7 mph minutes with 8 mph minutes. I am trying to get my body as comfortable at a 7mph pace as it is at 6mph.
10 minute rower

Ab work:
25 military sit ups
25 hip raises with legs straight in the air
25 crunches with legs in the air
25 bicycle crunches
45 second plank
12 each side of Denise Austin Double Crunch Classic-lie on ground with knees bent, stack one ankle on opposite knee, crunch lower body and upper body toward each other
20 each side of side lying oblique crunches. Lie on side and crunch elbow and upper body toward hip.

That’s probably it for the day minus the power shopping I have planned at Target!

Today’s Workout

Okay yesterdays workout, but for the sake of tagging, today’s.

Thursday:

30 minute elliptical

600 crunches-different variations. My favorite: plank position, alternating touching your knees to the ground quickly–or jogging it out as they say at Physique–then touching both knees down together, then touching hips to the ground, right then left. This one REALLY works the obliques.

I walked about 30 blocks to where I was having dinner.

So I managed to stay out way too late with friends Wednesday and Thursday, and ended up not getting to yoga either morning! Boo. I wake up early enough, but I don’t have the energy!

Tonight I am just planning a regular running, elliptical combo with at least 25 minutes of strength.

This weekend I will take you on a virtual run through my favorite battery park city route and resume my rock your body challenge with a great workout to do while watching tv!

Oh Hungry-Girl isn’t always my fav, but today she has a GREAT post!

Happy Friday!

I felt like I needed a picture, and one of my favorite things about the beginning of spring in the city is seeing the cherry blossoms open up. It is always a serendipitous surprise!

workout updates!

I have been meaning to include my workouts daily, but I always forget!

Monday: rest day
Tuesday: 1 hour vinyasa yoga
Wednesday: 20 minute run @ lunch, 1 hour run after work