Spring Workout Series – March 31

Posted on: March 31st, 2014 by paul

Blue Jays baseball is officially starting today which means spring has start, sort of. Although there is still snow and cold weather in most of Canada it doesn’t mean that spring isn’t right around the corner. That being said, it’s a good time to start getting in shape for the summer. Tune in weekly to the Travel Fitness section of the blog for great tips on getting fit as well as some challenging workouts.

beach, shadows

Today’s workout aims to challenge the cardiovascular system. It also aims to start building a strong foundation for the workouts that will get more intense as summer nears. The workout is a 4 km run that is to be completed by increasing the intensity for intervals of 1 minute followed by 2 minutes of lighter jogging. The workout can be done outside or on a treadmill (if there is still snow on the ground).

Remember to have a good warm up and cool down after the run. This fact is even more important if this is the first jog of the season. Since the muscles are not used to sprinting or intense training it will take longer to recover if a proper warm and cool down aren’t completed.

The Workout: Running Intervals

Difficulty: Moderate

Warm Up

Light jogging or skipping for 5 minutes

Core Activation – 3 Sets

50 sit ups on stability ball (lower back in the center of the stability ball)

20 back extensions on stability ball (Balance stomach in the center of the stability ball while stabilizing the core by planting feet on the wall)

20 pushups with feet on stability ball (be sure to maintain a solid core and a flat back throughout the entire pushup)

The Run

Goal – 4 Km in less than 20 minutes

Work:Rest = 1 minute intense running/sprint :2 minutes moderate jogging

Run at a moderate pace for 3-5 minutes before starting the first sprint phase of the workout. Then complete as many sets as necessary until 4 km is completed.

Cool Down

Light jog for 3-5 minutes then stretch

 


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