Plus, there's a prescription for runners who are just starting out, and those who are more experienced.
Before each workout, though, remember to start with a dynamic warmup.
Beginner: - 1-minute run- 1-min walk/jog- 2-minute run- 2-minute walk/jog- 3-minute run- 2-minute walk/jog- 4-minute run- 3-minute walk/jog- 5-minute run- 3-minute walk/jog Advanced: Follow the same workout pattern above—1 minute, 2 minutes, 3 minutes, 4 minutes, and 5 minutes—only with a 2-minute jog for active recovery between each.
Once you’ve reached 5 minutes and completed the 2-minute recovery, go back down the ladder and complete 5 minutes, 4 minutes, 3 minutes, 2 minutes, 1 minute.
But targeted workouts geared toward your fitness goals—training for a marathon, growing faster, getting fitter—make a world of a difference.
To help you become more methodical with your runs, we asked Gena Bradshaw, P.
” Longer sprints are advantageous for those training for 10Ks, half marathons, even triathlons, whereas short sprints are best for torching calories, and adding muscle, strength, and power to your lower body.
Beginner: Complete 3 sprints of 300 meters at 75% effort. Advanced: Do two sets, each 3 sprints of 300 meters at 75% effort.Considering how intense this (and other hill sprint workouts like it) is, only do one or two of these sessions per week. You can always increase the time for fewer reps, too. Why it works: “Intervals are meant to help increase stamina (and should not be conducted at max effort), so you’ll take less recovery time and increase the number of reps,” Bradshaw says.The big challenge is holding your pace for the entire workout, she adds.As you become more conditioned, jog rather than walk to get an active recovery between intervals.“Remember to maintain good form: shoulders down and back, chest up, and breathe,” Bradshaw says.