We are back this week with another workout crafted by the ISN team to help you get your body feeling great for Spring Break/swimsuit season.
Last week we brought you a fun interval workout involving various bodyweight cardio movements and challenged you to see how many rounds you could complete before throwing in the towel! This week, we are switching it up a little bit.
One of the best ways to lean out quickly is to up your cardio game. So today we are giving you one of our favorite running workouts, inspired by the one and only Chris Hinshaw.
(If you’ve never heard of Hinshaw or Aerobic Capacity, we recommend you check them out on their website and follow them on Instagram, @hinshaw363 and @aerobiccapacity. Chris is the King of Cardio so do yourself a favor and browse his page when you’re looking for exercise inspo!)
All you need for this workout is a treadmill, street, or track. Make sure you are wearing a stopwatch or fitness tracker so you can keep track of your time (and your meters/miles if you’d like!)
RUNNING WARM-UP
3 rounds:
:30 second jog
5 windmill stretches per side
5 runners hamstring stretch per side
5 walking figure 4 stretches per side
Find stairs or a post that you can use to stretch out your calves as well before a running workout. Additionally, give yourself a few ankle circles in each direction to loosen them up pre-run.
RUNNING WORKOUT
Complete for Total Distance (if you’re able to track meters)
4 Rounds:
5 minutes at moderate pace
2 minutes at fast pace
1 minute at easy pace
:30 second sprint
<Rest 4:15>
The name of the game with this type of workout is PACING. Make sure to pace yourself WELL. If you come out too hot on the moderate run, your legs (and lungs!) will be trashed before you can increase pace for the 2-minute interval and sprint. You WANT to run at different intervals during this workout.
Interval training helps to improve cardiovascular efficiency and over time, can positively impact your overall speed over greater distances. So make sure you are actually changing pace.
Take your 1 minute recovery VERY slowly. A walk/jog is sufficient for this pace. Allowing your body to slow down following 2 minutes of fast running will help you recover so that you can hit your sprint as hard as possible.
Finally, after your sprint, you get to rest for 4 minutes and 15 seconds. Don’t sit down during this time! Your muscles will lock up with lactic acid if you remain seated for too long. Instead, walk around, shake out your legs, and work on recovering your breathing quickly. This will help you to recover during your rest period and maintain a consistent pace going forward into future rounds.
Aim to stay consistent in this workout. And believe us, you will be feeling the burn come round 4.
RUNNING COOL DOWN
Whatever you do, don’t try to skip the cool down. After a run, lactic acid will build up in your muscles and they will start to lock up. Take the 10 minutes to stretch and your body will reward you 100-fold.
Walk for at least one to two minutes following your last interval and then perform the following stretches:
- Seated forward fold– hold for :20 seconds and release; perform 3 times
- Seated pigeon stretch– hold for 1 min each side
- Couch stretch– hold for 1 min each side
- Down dog – Up dog- perform 10 repetitions, holding each position for 3 seconds
So there it is! Give your body a good workout with this running interval burner and live your best life on the beach, at the pool, or on the lake this summer!
