Hey there!
How’s your week been? Not going to lie, mine has been a whirlwind for so many reasons, but I’m so happy that the weekend is finally here. My agenda includes finishing off some Christmas shopping, beginning to prep for my trip home to Bahrain in a couple of weeks (including fulfilling product requests from my family for products only available in Canada), and getting some rest in hopes of finally nailing this lingering cold I’ve been dealing with. Is it bad that oil of oregano is starting to taste less disgusting? Bllllechhhhh.
ANYWAYS. Let’s chat about fitness – specifically running.
Work It Out
I’ll admit I’m not the most fond of running hills, but it’s amazing how even a little exposure to them can translate into amazing improvements in your fitness. So with that in mind, this week’s workout is an interval one with 9 opportunities to practice building strength through hill work.
I’ll preface it by saying that a true HIIT workout would probably have you working at max effort in those intervals, but that’s not exactly the case here – you’ll just max out on the last 3. Sound good? Let’s go!
The HIIT the Hills Treadmill Workout
Begin with an easy 10 minute warm-up to get blood flowing to your muscles, then start into the first set of intervals, which are 3 minutes each. You’ll get 1 minute rest between every interval, during which time you can flatten the incline completely and slow your speed as necessary. Increase the incline on the treadmill as shown in the right column, and adjust your speed so that you match the RPE (rate of perceived exertion, out of 10) in the RPE column.
The 3×1 minute intervals should be hard, so don’t be afraid to add speed as your body adapts and give it everything you have. There’s nothing but a cool down after those 1-minute efforts, so don’t hold back!
[Tweet “Bring the hills inside with this HIIT the Hills Treadmill #workout”]
Turn It Up
You know how more and more Beliebers seem to be coming out of the closet these days, outside of the teenage girl demographic? Well I have to shamelessly admit that I’m also currently feeling the same way towards One Direction. I have no idea what their names and relationship statuses are, and I don’t want to know how much older I am, but what I do know is that their new album, Made in the A.M., is pretty great – especially the song Perfect. I’ve yet to find a remix that worth sharing, so for now let’s stick with the original. Indulge your inner teenage fan girl for a few minutes and enjoy!
Have A Read
- How to get more out of your burpee – via Popsugar Fitness. They’re the love-to-hate move of many, and here’s 5 variations to try… you know, just in case the standard burpee gets too easy. 😉
- Brace yourselves (and prepare your budgets): Beyonce just announced the launch date of her athleisure line at Topshop – via Shape.com
- 5 things you’re not doing in your fitness routine (but should be) – via Mind Body Green
Alright, your turn! Tell me….
- What are you up to this weekend?
- For the runners: What’s one part of your fitness that you’re working on through the winter?
That workout looks so fun! This weekend I am getting my bike tuned up and going for my first long ride of the year! ‘
Only you would decide to do a long ride at the beginning of December. 🙂 LOL! Have a great time, and ride it like you stole it! 🙂
I have never tried a treadmill HIIT workout so this is something I gotta do! Especially as the weather starts to change here!
Oh for sure!! I find it can be hard to do HIITs sometimes with speed on the treadmill because you feel like you spend the whole time pushing buttons, but incline adds a whole different challenge and even just a few degrees can be tough! Hope you have a great weekend, my friend!
Perfect!I am trying to lower my body fat percentage and this seems to be perfect!I will try it tomorrow!
http://www.2activelab.com