Happy Friday, lovelies!
Have you had a great week? Mine started off pretty intense work-wise, so a chilled-out, relaxing weekend is definitely what I’m craving. A few solid workouts, sleep, a long walk, playtime in the kitchen and a DIY mani-pedi are on the cards. Can we just fast forward to 5pm right now?
You’re welcome. ?
Work It Out
As I mentioned a couple of weeks ago, I’ve scaled back on run mileage a bit lately in favour of strength training and HIIT sessions. I’m not normally a fan of speed work, but these days I’ve been getting massive satisfaction out of completing hard, fast sprint intervals on the treadmill. It sounds a bit masochistic, I know, but the feeling of running really fast is amazing!
I’ve found that my sweet spot is intervals of 1-2 minutes, with 1-2 minutes of rest in between. Each time I do the workout I’m about to share, I’ll try to bump my speed up just a tiny bit. It’s amazing how the body adjusts with exposure to new physical challenges, and even by just doing this routine twice per week, I think you’ll see yourself improving just like I have.
The Summer Sprinter Workout
Start with a 5 minute jog-to-run warmup, steadily increasing speed and effort. You’ll then do 5x (2 mins hard, 1 min recovery jog), followed by 5x (1 min flat-out as hard as you can, 1 min recovery jog). After a 5 minute easy run, drop the speed down on the treadmill for 3 1-minute walk intervals at a steep incline. Cool down by walking for a few extra minutes to bring your heart rate back to normal. Rate of perceived exertion (out of 10) indications are provided on the right.
Click here to print the workout.
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Turn It Up
The first time I heard St. Lucia play was at last year’s lululemon Sea Wheeze Sunset Festival, and I remember the song Dancing on Glass being stuck in my head for days. Help Me Run Away is one of the latest tracks hot off the presses and I love its slightly old school vibe. High energy, uplifting and so perfect for summer.
Have A Read
- Inspired by the music: Top 6 reasons to dance – via the Vega Blog
- Rio 2016 Olympic hopefuls you should be following on Instagram – via Shape.com
- 9 things female runners should never do – via Women’s Running
Alright, I’m off to werrrkkkk, and if all goes to plan, that’ll be followed by sitting on a patio in the sun by the beach. Before you go I’d love to hear…
- What are some of your favourite HIIT workouts?
- What’s going on this weekend?
I love intervals. The half ironman training was SO MUCH zone 3 work that I am excited to get back to some spicy intervals and work on speed as well!
Sounds like you have the BEST weekend planned. 🙂