Let go of the excuses and remember…working out is fun!
LET’S GO CREW!!!
3 sets of 10…arms and core. New speed work and stepping it up to 45 reps for the Ab Challenge and 40 for burpees. You can do this…make a plan, get it done early, and set the tone for the week!
Ab Challenge – 45 Crunches, 45 Bicycle Crunches, 45 Leg Lifts & :80 Plank (1:20)
40 Burpees
Bonus: #BraBulgeWorkout – SLOW AND CONTROLLED
This one may seem like its just for the ladies, but guys you can benefit from stronger, toner arms too! Most of these exercises we have done in the past so you should be familiar with, but if you aren’t sure how to do one let me know and I will post a “how to” video. You don’t need a special ball for the woodchoppers, just use a dumbbell and do them SLOWLY. These are not fast moves. Low reps, slow and controlled movement. Just one set of this workout. Thank you to Jennifer Oldenburg for suggesting this great workout!
Speed Work: Negative Split Run
Many runners do the opposite of a negative split run by going out too fast in the beginning, and then slowing down significantly in the second half of the race. It’s a common mistake because you feel rested and strong in the beginning, so it’s tempting to go out fast. It takes a lot of discipline and practice to achieve a negative split. But if you can hold back and conserve your energy in the first half of your race so that you can run faster in the second half, you’ll perform much better overall.
So we are going to practice. I want you to work on starting slow and bringing your pace down during your run. Practicing a negative run will help you nail it when it’s important.
Start at your normal “conversation pace” for mile 1 to warm up. For mile 2, speed up just a bit, then speed up a little more for mile 3, etc… The last mile of your run should be at the pace you want to run for your race. Not the overall average, just the last mile. Remember your race will be longer so you have more time to bring that average down. I’m not really concerned with the total distance, but don’t do this on a day that calls for an easy or short run. I want to see you paying attention to your speed and really dialing in on how to pace yourself to get faster as your run progresses. We want to see splits so post your workout when you’re done!
Do not let Monday pass you by. Let’s set the tone and make this the BEST WEEK EVER!!
Knee pain isn’t just a problem for old people: It can hit at any age, says Matthew Abdel, M.D., an orthopedic surgeon and associate professor at the Mayo Clinic.
And it’s happening more and more frequently. According to a study from the Boston University School of Medicine, the prevalence of knee pain has increased significantly over a 20-year period. Currently, one in five Americans have suffered knee pain, and it’s the culprit behind a third of all doctor’s visits for muscle and bone pain, says Stephen Nicholas, M.D., founder and current director of New York Orthopedics.
Knee pain can be a problem for anyone, but runners top the list. We want to believe that just being active will keep us strong and healthy, and since it’s time for our long runs, today is a great day to talk about the #1 knee wrecker for runners…
#1 Knee Wrecker: Skipping Our Warmup – We’re all strapped for time and want to make the most out of our run. But jumping right into a workout could really mess up our knees. That’s because warming up lubricates the knee joint, circulates synovial fluid into the knee, improves muscle elasticity, and boosts oxygen flow to the area, reducing your chance of injury to the knees.
Knee Saver: Stretch/Warm Up Before Workout – “The most important thing you can do for your knees is give yourself an appropriate warm up period,” says Dr. Nicholas. “Stretching your lower legs is particularly key for long term running health. When the muscles are unevenly lengthened, the knee caps pull to the side, which causes wear or pain on the joint.”
Set aside at 5-10 minutes before your workout to work on dynamic stretching and drills. Warming up lets your muscles gently strengthen, which is key for healthy knees.
Knees need a full range of motion—to move back and forth, twist a little, and pivot. This will protect you if you find yourself in awkward positions and increased flexibility stresses the joint less.
What to do? Try some of these easy running drills before setting out on your long run this weekend:
There are other ways to wreck your knees and we talk about those later…but since it’s time for long runs and races…know that adding a few minutes of an easy dynamic stretching/warm up routine can keep you from feeling pain and save you a bunch of money and time needed for Dr. visits.
Ab Challenge – 40 Crunches, 40 Bicycles Crunches, 40 Leg Lifts + :70 Plank (1:10)
Burpees – Rest
Don’t forget that our long runs are FUN! Make them fun by taking out the stress…go for an easy paced run for a distance that puts you out of your comfort zone but don’t stress to the point that it is no longer fun. Come home feeling revitalized and STRONG! Then knock out your ab challenge and stretch it out Crew!
Remember that you are doing this for you. Running has given you courage, strength, determination, and a way to love yourself first. Never outrun your joy of running!
Are you FIRED up for another great week? Or are you starting to feel the drain of the month and already wanting to slack?
We are almost halfway into the month and if you’re already feeling the flame subside, it’s time to reset again and keep it back into high gear! Remember…this month is all about keeping that fire lit and pushing through STRONG!
If you’re already waining, I want you to take a few minutes to remember why you are here. Think about your short and long term goals and kick start that fire that got you moving in the first place.
I know you’ve probably got a million things on your to do list…. but this one needs to move to this top!
Ab Challenge: 30 Crunches, 30 Bicycle Crunches, 30 Leg Lifts + :50 Plank
30 Burpees
Bonus: #CardioStrengthWorkout – If you are running today, no need to throw in the extra bonus. If not…take the extra time to throw in a round or 2 of this cardio strength routine. Get FIRED up and get that heart pumping! 🙂
Speed Work: Ah the dreaded speed work…but with great work comes great rewards! Remember that speed work has added benefits….
Upping the Oxygen – One part of the speed formula built around a variable known as VO2 max. VO2 max is a laboratory measure of the maximum amount of oxygen your body can process at peak effort. In other words, it’s a measure of the power of your aerobic engine with all the part—heart, lungs, capillaries and muscles—working at aerobic maximum. VO2 max is developed through training at high intensities. This is important for running short distances like a 5K AND long distances like a marathon! Speed training also forces the body to learn to make use of “higher” energy systems not taxed during slower workouts. According to a Runners World article on speed training for marathoners, “The benefit [of speed work] is that you develop energy systems that utilize higher rates of glycogen and less fat than marathon pace. As you become more economical at faster paces, in theory you should become more economical with fat utilization at the slower pace, the marathon pace.” They also note that such training helps the body deal with glycogen depletion late in the marathon.
What do they suggest? Mile repeats! Yep…longer distance speed work is essential to building up your VO2 Max and learning to tax your body for longer periods of time to increase your oxygen intake.
So there it is…speed work this week is mile repeats. FUN! 🙂
To find out how many of these little buggers you are running this week, look at your total average weekly mileage, then factor in 8-10%. That is your distance for speed work.
10-15 miles per week = 1-2 miles @ 10K pace
20 miles per week = 2 miles @ 10K pace
30 miles per week = 3 miles @ 10K pace
40 miles per week = 4 miles @ 10K pace
50 miles per week = 5 miles @ 10K pace
60 miles per week = 6 miles @ 10K pace
These repeats should be done at about 10K pace which is a tad slower than 5K pace but faster than you would run a half marathon. For example, my current 5K pace is about 8:25/mile, and my 15K pace is about 9:05/mile. So I should be right in the middle of that running my mile repeats at about an 8:40 – 8:45 pace for each mile.
Between each mile: stop, breathe, take a drink of water, then go again. These rest periods can be about 2 minutes each. If you don’t want to stop altogether you can slow it down to a walk or jog, but don’t skimp on the rest period, and don’t take too long either. You don’t want your heart rate coming all the way down to resting.
If you’re not sure what your 10K pace is, PLEASE reach out to me and let’s chat. I have a great tool for helping you figure out what your pace can and should be. PM me here and let’s figure it out.
That’s all for now Crew…another fabulous week ahead of us. Time to unleash your potential and GET FIRED UP!
This should really say, “when you 80, or 85, or 90…because we have some STRONG women in their 60s who are no where close to hip replacements! But you get the point. Not only do we want strong hips for the long haul, but strengthening our hips fires up a chain reaction that reverberates all the way down our legs.
Strong hips mean less pain and fewer injuries in our legs. In fact a recent active.com article states,
Since the sport of running has begun to enjoy a second boom in recent years, much attention has been paid to injury prevention. More specifically, the industry has focused largely on both foot strike and footwear as major causes of running ailments. It turns out, however, that there’s another culprit that runners often overlook: hip weakness.
Jason Fitzgerald, a 2:39 marathoner and coach in the Washington D.C. area, says that hip weakness has become more prevalent as a result of the sitting we do in our daily lives. “When you consider how important proper hip strength is for runners and the fact that most runners don’t do the specific strength exercises that bolster the hip muscles, it’s a disaster waiting to happen,” he says.
Since the hips stabilize each leg during the stance phase of the running gait, strength in that area is particularly vital. “Hip weakness throws off all that stability, resulting in excess movement not only at the hip, but also at the knee,” says Fitzgerald. “The two most common injuries that result from weak hips include illiotibial band syndrome or patellofemoral pain syndrome, but in fact, many other injuries could occur from weak hips, including Achilles tendinopathy, shin splints and plantar fasciitis.”
If you read all the way through that, you noticed that hip weakness can cause IT Band syndrome (IT Band pain), patellofemoral pain syndrome (knee pain), Achilles tendinopathy (Achilles problems), shin splints (ouch!), and plantar fasciitis (lots of Core Crew dealing with this one).
So now you know, when I go on and on about hip strength…I am not making this stuff up!
I’m in a lot of running groups, and I know I get a lot of eye rolls when I bring up strength work as a means to elevate leg pain. Everyone wants the quick easy answer to getting back on the road. They want to ice the injury, rest a little, and come back pain free.
Well yes, ice is never a bad idea. Resting when we have pain is always a good thing too… Rolling is also a great way to relax our muscles and relieve some of the pressure…but if that’s all you do, the pain will come back. You’re not getting stronger and finding a way to keep the injury from happening, you’re just masking it for the moment and then wondering why your body hates you.
So I will continue to harp on you about strengthening these areas. And you can keep rolling your eyes at me and keep hurting…or you can get to work on making yourself stronger. The choice is yours Crew!
I hope you’ll choose wisely and….
Day 9 exercises: 3 sets of 10 (adding another set! 🙂 )
4-way Band Walk (low squat walk if you don’t have bands)
Wall Sit – :60 (post run if you are running today)
Challenges:
Ab Challenge – 25 Crunches, 25 Bicycle Crunches, 25 Leg Lifts + :40 Plank
20 Burpees
Bonus: Donkey Kick Workout
An oldy but a goodie! This one hurts y’all. It isn’t easy but it is only 10 minutes and you will feel the burn. Someone (I forget who this early) asked me to post my video instead of the original so here it is. Follow along with me and let get us some strong and powerful hips!
Speed Work: Today is pretty much the last day you should be doing speed work if you are going long this weekend. If you are racing this weekend….do NOT do speed work today. You will not benefit from pushing yourself this close to a race. Time to take it easy, do some strength work and trust your training.
If you’re not racing, and not going long till Sunday, time to go fast! Here’s this week’s workout:
Workout: 4-8X 800M (1/2 mile repeats 4-8 times)
Warm up – 1-1.5 miles easy
1/2 mile repeats with slow jog or stop and stand still and breathe in between sets (:90-2:00 rest in between sets)
Cool down 1-1.5 miles easy
Wondering how fast or how much effort you should be putting into this workout? Look at the chart below and find a recent 5K time or what you think you would be able to ru for a 5K. The pace next to it is for 1/4 mile repeats (or 400meters) Take that time than double it and add 8-10 seconds. So if you run a 5K in 25 minutes you should run your 400 meter repeats in about one minute 49 seconds. So for 800s you double that to 3 minutes 38 seconds then add 8-10 seconds getting 3:48-3:50 per 800 meters (or every 1/2 mile).
I know this sounds a little confusing so if you aren’t sure please reach out to me and ask. I will help you figure out where you should be.
If you are new to speed work. Start small and don’t overthink it. Start with 4x 1/2 mile repeats (total of 2 miles) and just practice getting close to your time goal each for each 1/2 mile. If you have been doing speed work for a while or are used to go longer distances, suck it up and go for 8x and watch your pace on the first few sets. Don’t try to go all out and beat that pace time. The goal here is stay right on target and hit that time, not to go faster in the beginning and burn out so you can’t finish the workout.
Another thought…back pain can also result from weak hips…so it’s not just our legs that suffer. EVERYONE can benefit from these strength exercises. Ignore the underlying problem and you will continue to suffer.
Stop masking the problem. Fix it by getting stronger!
We’re starting out short and sweet with just 2 sets of 10. This is so you will take the time to watch the “how to” videos and learn how to do them correctly so you don’t get hurt. Don’t worry…things will get harder!
These are new exercises for most of us so don’t just go out all willy nilly and leave form by the wayside. Take your time and go through your 2 sets of 10 with purpose and precision.
4-Way Band Walk – you need a band for this one but if you don’t have one please get into a squat position and do a 4-way low walk. You can purchase bands very inexpensively at Target, Walmart or Amazon.
Wall Sit – :60
Challenges:
Ab Challenge: 10 Crunches, 10 Bicycle Crunches, 10 Leg Lifts, :10 – :30 Plank
10 Burpees
Bonus: Modern Mom Hip Strength
Since we have lots of newbies and today is a short day, we are adding in a great bonus workout. Modern Mom Hip Strength is a video we’ve been doing for a few months now. Not only does it help you slim down and trim fat from your thighs, it also builds great hip strength! 4 minutes per leg…easy to fit into your routine today.
It’s late in the week which means it’s time to start thinking about our long runs. Planning ahead is key to making it happen and making it a great run. Think about what day is best for you, what time fits best with your lifestyle and schedule, and what you should be eating and drinking between now and then. Start hydrating now!
What’s your plan? Tell us about it and make yourself accountable to make it happen and successful.
The fire is burning Crew…keep stoking those flames and let’s watch it grow!
According to the Runkeeper.com blog Squats are a Runner’s Best Friend, “One of the biggest squat myths is that squats are bad for your knees. False! This myth comes from a few badly run studies in the 1960s that have since been disproved. More recent studies have instead shown that people who regularly squat have more stable knees.”
Squats provide important benefits to runners and walkers:
Knee Stability
Increased Leg Power
Improved Body Awareness
Injury Prevention
Additionally, “squatting effectively teaches runners how to be better runners by addressing and improving basic athletic skills. For example, squatting teaches runners how to load and engage their posterior chain, how to stabilize their hips, knees, and ankles, and how to move with good posture and maintain that good posture for longer periods of time.”
To squat effectively, we must address three basic skills:
Focusing on developing our athletic skill with posture, load, and torque, a runner’s relationship with strength training can be changed forever. While we want stronger hamstrings, we cannot just do hamstring exercises and expect better running results. Why? Because the whole is greater than the sum of its muscular parts. We must strengthen the other areas around our hamstring to help support those muscles and take some of the load off that area. Squats are a great way to strength and support our hamstrings!
So even if you aren’t doing the extra squat challenge this month…today YOU SQUAT! 😉
You guessed it Crew…it’s HIP DAY!!
