Today we’re at a “park”.  Nowadays, parks come in all forms.  I miss the back-in-day parks with the dangerous 20 foot slides that were metal and the speed limitless merry go rounds that could shoot a kid 40 feet if spun the right way.  Ahhh…the good ole days of broken bones and knocked out teeth.  Today, however, is much different so you have to work really hard to find a park with these 3 things:

• Monkey bars
• 100 feet of open space
• A taller than normal slide

GROUND RULES

• Don’t go to the park and workout during mommy hours.  Do I even need to say that?
• Do not do this in minimalist sneakers if you are new to them.  Try crosstrainers instead.
• Use creativity to add to this workout.  You may not have my park at your disposal.
• Avoid running in the park mulch if at all possible.  All kinds of hidden horrors are lurking in that stuff.  You’ll sprain an ankle in a minute messing around with that maniacal mixture.
• Get used to people staring at you.  They’ll most likely be sitting on a bench with a Dunkin Donuts iced coffee wondering what in Heaven’s Name you are doing.  Just keep moving.
• You can find any of these exercises by googling them.  I have used all standard names.

DYNAMIC WARM UP

1. 30 sec pogos
2. 5 push ups (Alternate #1 and 2– 5 times.)
3. 10 Flings
4. 4 Groiners for stretch (hold them 3 sec each)  (NOTE:  I do the version that is one leg at a time—not 2.  It looks like a runners lunge but harder.)  Alternate #3 and 4– 3 times.

Do the following in place one right after the other, ten sec each:

1. High knees
2. Butt kickers
3. Squats
4. Alt side lunges
5. Mtn Climbers
6. Gate swings (do these half time for warm ups)

Repeat 3 times

Here is your dynamic “stretch”:

• Leg swings in all 3 directions
• Hip hip in place
• Round house kicks in place

THE WORKOUT

• Starting with the monkey bars:  jump up and do 1 pull up, drop to the ground and do 1 push up.   Do this twice.
• Stand up and perform:  4 jump squats, 8 squats rapid fire, 4 split jumps (T)otal, 4 alt fwd lunges
• Repeat this sequence for a total of 4 times through.

If you have an open and free parking lot or field space:

• Sprint for 15 sec.   (STOP AND NOTICE HOW FAR YOU HAVE GONE) Back pedal back.
• Now sprint half that distance, touch ground, sprint back to start and touch ground again.
• Do that 3 more times for a total of 8 half sprints.  (Remember that with me, 1 direction = 1 time.  Therefore, there and back = 2.)  Perform 20 russian twists, 10 plank jumps and 3 inch worms.  Repeat this sequence 2 more times.

Go back to the monkey bars:

• jump up and do 1 pull up, drop down and do 4 prone jacks.  Do this twice.
• Stand up and perform:   4 (T) alt side lunges with a plyo hop in the center, 4 lateral bounds, 4 rotational lunges
• Repeat this sequence for a total of 4 times through.

Go back to where you were doing the half sprints.

• Shuffle the half distance.  5 burpees
• Shuffle back.  1 rocket jump/8 mtn climbers (5 X’s)
• Repeat this entire sequence 5 times.

Head to the slide…

• Run up an extra long slide.  10 squats at the top (there should be a platform); be bold here:  no hands if you can do it or super long strides.
• Walk down the same slide, or another slide that is close, slowly.
• Turn around (or run in a loop if there are 2 slides) and repeat this for 10 reps.

Go back to the monkey bars:

• Jump up and hang there.  Perform 5 leg raises.  Drop down and sprint 5 sec away.  Touch the ground and sprint back.  Repeat this until you can’t do any more leg raises, you puke or you cramp up in the leg raise and become stuck in that position til a 5 year old helps you.  Ok, I was kidding about the last one but do let us know if you puke. J

COOL DOWN

Walk around slowly for 3 min.

Perform the cool down from the track workout in the place where you did the half sprints.

Tomorrow we conquer the beach.  WOOP WOOP!!

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Yesterday was about the basics.  Today is about faking like you know what you’re doing on the track.  Ready?

BREAKING IT DOWN

We are currently on a state of the art track.  Well not physically, but I want you to envision it because it’s important for today’s post.  The track is made of that red, foamy rubber stuff that feels great on the feet; the middle of the track is covered in turf instead of grass and has the little black rubber beads in it, too; there are bleachers that are in good shape and are made specifically for running them because they are high, with evenly spaced stairs; and there is a bathroom within 5 min of walking to it (ESSENTIAL for a woman).

I am going to take yesterday’s basic workout and add a ton of fillers to it.  Depending on what I add, it will lean either more to the conditioning side (lots of plyos and rest) or more to the cardio side (not much rest but much less intensity).  I will color code this because the anal engineer in me says that that makes the most sense.  You don’t want to know what the lazy woman in me said.  I told her to shut up for your benefit.

Red = added to yesterday’s workout

DYNAMIC WARM UP

1. Performed in a straight line, over 15 feet or so.  Backslash BP means to return to start with a back pedal.
2. 8 “runs”—each way is 1 run—get faster with each run so that the last one is just short of a sprint
3. High knees/BP
4. Every 3^rd high knee/BP
5. Butt kickers/BP
6. Every 3^rd butt kicker/BP
7. Skip/BP/10 mtn climbers (from the down position, pop up into skip for height)
8. Skip for height/BP/10 mtn climbers (from the down position, pop up into skip for distance)
9. Skip for distance/BP/10 mtn climbers (from the down position, pop up into skips with a twist)
10. Skips with a twist
11. 5 push ups/Shuffle/5 push ups/shuffle (“pop up” from the push up like a burpee; do not get up slowly and shuffle)
12. 3 groiners for stretch/Carioka/3 groiners for stretch/Carioka
13. 5 gateswings/side run/5 gateswings/side run
14. 180’s
15. 360’s
16. Fast walking lunge
17. Lunge and rotate
18. Frankensteins
19. Prisoner walks
20. Round house shuffle
21. Monster walks

The purpose of this warm up is two-fold:  warm you up dynamically in a way that mimics the movements you are about to do and get you used to flowing from one move to the next.  For example, when you back pedal back it is very natural to go right down to the ground at the end of it.  This puts you in the position to do a mountain climber.  From the down position of a mtn climber, you are almost in the “start block position” and you go right into a skip.  This forces you to learn how to go from floor to fast, but we’re not doing in it into a run because we’re not Flo Jo so back it down.

WARM UP SPRINT—this doesn’t change

1. Start at the beginning of the straight away
2. Run at a fast, but easy, pace half of the distance of the straight away.
3. Walk back to start.
4. Do this 3 to 5 times depending on how long it takes you to loosen up and feel comfortable.

SPRINTS AND SUCH

Start in start block position, run faster speed than the first set of sprints for the entire length of the 100m strip.  Walk back.  Repeat 2 more times.

HERE ARE THE FILLERS

Conditioning:

Rest a full 3 min. from the sprints.  Really do this or you’ll be junk by the end of the second set of sprints.  Respect rest periods.

Head to the bleachers.  Run up/down the bleachers 2 times.  At the bottom do 10 squat jumps, 10 squat thrusts and 10 prone jacks.  Repeat 1 time.  Rest 3 full min.

Begin another set of sprints again only this time, empty everything you have into the pavement.  You will only feel fast for the first one.  You will get progressively slower after that.  Rest fully now.  However long it takes to come down to normal breathing, take it.   You’ll notice this will get better every week.  Head to the turf.  This should be a football field marked off in 5 yards.  Find a vacant “10 yard space” for you to perform a 5/5/10/10.  You are going to perform an exercise for 5 yards Right, 5 yards L, 10 yards R, 10 yards left.

• Sprint/sprint/sprint/sprint
• Shuffle/shuffle/skip for height/skip for distance
• Bear crawl/bear crawl/carioca/carioca
• Sprint/BP/Sprint/BP

Rest 1 min.  Do this in sets of 4, do no more than 3 sets as a filler and use anything you want such as leap frogs, side runs and so on.  Get creative.  Rest fully again.  However long it takes.

Last set of 3.  Feel this one out.  If you feel good, do them full speed.  If you’re new to this, just “run fast” but don’t empty your tank into the track or you could get hurt.  Rest fully.  Head to bleachers.  This is a combo filler.  Run up the bleachers 1 time.  Come down, run to the turf.  Peform the following crank 1 time:

• 20 rapid fire squats
• 10 jump squats
• 10 squat thrusts
• 10 burpees

No rest AT ALL b/w exercises.

And then run 4—5/5/10/10’s.  Rest 2 min and repeat the entire sequence again.  If your bleachers are short, double the amount.  Time for cool down.

Cardio:

Rest a full 3 min. from the sprints.  Really do this or you’ll be junk by the end of the warm up.  Respect rest periods.

Run a 400.  Not all out as a sprint, but at a good pace.  Rest 3 full min and repeat one more time.  Rest 3 min.

Begin another set of sprints again only this time, empty everything you have into the pavement.  You will only feel fast for the first one.  You will get progressively slower after that.  Rest fully now.  However long it takes to come down to normal breathing, take it.   You’ll notice this will get better every week.  Run the bleachers 2 times, come down and run across the track (meaning across the turf) to the other side and back at 70% of max.  Repeat this for time (5 min), not reps.  Rest 3 min.

Last set of 3.  Feel this one out.  If you feel good, do them full speed.  If you’re new to this, just “run fast” but don’t empty your tank into the track or you could get hurt.  Rest 3 min.  Run the curve of the track, if they have bleachers on each side you’re going to loop the track by doing the bleachers on the straightaway, a good run on the curves.  Do this for 10 min. People will think you’re nuts—tell them you lost your wallet while running.

Same cool down as yesterday for both conditioning and cardio sections.  We’ll change that next time.

Do you have all that?   I know it’s a lot.  I’ll elaborate more when we head to the park tomorrow.  Stay tuned!

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Let’s jump (wow, unintended bad pun right there) right into this:

BEFORE YOU START

Sneakers: Running shoes.  Do not wear minimalist sneakers if you have never sprinted before, you will blow out your shins.  Bring those in slowly.  Sneakers are personal so no, I do not have a recommendation of a brand.

Time: NOT HIGH NOON.  I always see at least one crazy person on a track sprinting at high noon at least once a year.  And don’t ask why I’m there to see it–I’m nosy ok?  You feel better now?  If you go early morning, the grass will be wet.  Don’t walk through it, soak up your feet and then try to sprint with maximum traction.  Stay off the grass.  If you go later in the day, close to evening, the mosquitoes will make a meal of you so bring some OFF to show them who’s boss.  Track mosquitoes are a special gigantic breed that has been brought over from the Amazon.  Take heed.

Water: If it is hot, water may not be enough.  Nuuns are easy to bring with you in case you need them and are way better than any kind of Gatoraide product that’s going to kill your physique.

THE TRACK

Assuming this is a standard track, the straightaway is 100m; the curve is 100m.  Altogether the entire way around is 400m.  Don’t try to stay in your lane or get all technical, just get around the track.  Be mindful of other people and don’t hog up a whole area like we can in the gym because most tracks are for public use so they’ll be all types roaming around when you get there.

If it has bleachers, fabulous!  Make sure they are sturdy.  TEST THEM OUT before you barrel up them like Chariots of Fire on crack.  You’d be surprised at how many good looking but falling apart bleachers there are out there.

Dynamic warm ups are best done on the straightaway that is separated from the track.  Typically it’s about 8 to 15 feet that is set aside and leads right into the straight portion of the track.  Most people will not bother you if you use that as your warm up area.  Do not start your sprint from there, though, because it adds to the length of the 100m sprint.

WHAT YOU ARE WORKING

Overall: Conditioning.  We do not use these for anything other than to give you a nice tight body.  However, there is a nice side effect to sprinting which is your overall lung capacity.  If you are a runner, you’ll be able to run faster, longer after a few weeks of sprinting.  If you’re a gym rat, you’ll notice that your intense days of cardio in the gym are no longer intense and you’ll have to kick it up a notch.

Body:

• ‘Start block starts’ work the glutes, hamstrings and calves.
• The first ten steps work the quads, hamstrings, glutes and calves.
• Top speed running works the hamstrings.

I left out the hip flexors and other terminology like push/pull phase or return swing on purpose.  Unclog your mind of those things for now.  This is about appearance–not performance.

Mental stamina: There is something about sprinting that makes us feel fierce and productive.  Capitalize on this; don’t shy away.  Sweaty, smelly workouts that are directly correlated with a sense of being uniquely strong keep us focused on the task at hand, dieting, more than anything else we’ll do all week long.

THE WORKOUT

A true track workout should not take more than 15 min.  We use them for conditioning only.  When used as cardio, lots of fillers are put in to add to the length of the workout and all fillers MUST BE less intense than the sprint portion of the workout or you will fry yourself.  Adding too much stuff into the workout is a great way to get injured but this happens because we feel like we can conquer the world once we start releasing speed.  Get your head together, girl.  You’re coming back next week.  No need to shove it all in at one time.  Here are the components:

• Dynamic Warmup
• Warm up sprints
• Full out sprinting
• Add ins, fillers and rest periods
• Cool down

I will break all of these down for you tomorrow.  I’ll give you things to think about, how to do them, where you get yourself into trouble and how to keep it fresh.  Today, though, I’m just going to give you a sample workout to sink your teeth into so you have an idea of what I’m going to walk you through tomorrow and because I promised that I would.  I don’t want you to think I’m holding out.

You can google any of these exercises if you don’t know what they are:

DYNAMIC WARM UP

Performed in a straight line, over 15 feet or so.  Backslash BP means to return to start with a back pedal.

1. 8 “runs”—each way is 1 run
2. High knees/BP
3. Butt kickers/BP
4. Skip/BP
5. Skip for height/BP
6. Skip for distance/BP
7. Shuffle/shuffle
8. Carioka/Carioka
9. 180’s
10. 360’s
11. Frankensteins
12. Prisoner walks
13. Round house shuffle
14. Monster walks

WARM UP SPRINT

Start at the beginning of the straight away

Run at a fast, but easy, pace half of the distance of the straight away.

Walk back to start.

Do this 3 to 5 times depending on how long it takes you to loosen up and feel comfortable.

SPRINTS

Start in start block position, run faster speed than before the entire length of the 100m strip.  Walk back.  Repeat 2 more times.  Take a walk around the track or put a filler here.  I’ll explain tomorrow what fillers are.

Begin another set of sprints again only this time, empty everything you have into the pavement.  You will only feel fast for the first one.  You will get progressively slower after that.  Walk around again or add another filler.

Last set of 3.  Feel this one out.  If you feel good, do them full speed.  If you’re new to this, just “run fast” but don’t empty your tank into the track or you could get hurt.  Walk around the track or last filler.

You’re done.  This is as basic as it gets.  It’s time to cool down.

COOL DOWN

1. Prisoner walks
2. Thinker
3. Lunge and rotate
4. Over the fence, under the fence
5. Hip hip

Tomorrow we’ll do a “fancy” track workout with plyos and cranks before we move onto the park and the beach.  Sound good?  Woop woop!!

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There are two types of track workouts:  one for your performance where you worry about getting faster, better, stronger by manipulating rest periods, work load and intensity; and one for your physique where you work out so hard that the only thing you can imagine happening the next day is that your rear end and quads turn into cement thereby satisfying your desire to have unnaturally hard glutes and thighs.  But most of us have zero idea of how to differentiate between the two so we create these great track workouts and then worry about details that do not matter to us physique athletes and neglect those that do.   I will give you some much needed information on form, what part of your legs you’re working on doing what and workload so you can stop blindly following the workouts in magazines and start creating your own that are tailored to your physique rather than your performance.  I’m going to put up 3 sprint workouts for you to play around with and then use as a model for whenever you want to punish work on your back side.  They will be as follows:  1) traditional track workout, 2) I-don’t-have-a-track-near-me workout (i.e. park/street) and 3) beach workout.

Right now, I think it’s essential to get some of your questions out of the way before we start.

Why do I give a flying rat’s behind about a track workout in the first place?

Because you like a nice butt and legs and who better to model than “those who could hold a new born baby with their butt cheeks”.  Out of all professional athletes, no backside consistently compares to those of sprinters.  They’re super human almost.

Why can’t I just go run some sprints and be done with it?

Because you’re a type A psycho and you and I both know that if you are left to your own devices, you’ll do this 3X’s a week, add some plyos, run some bleachers, run to the track and back, lift before hand, do yoga after…really, right now?  Once you “just go run some sprints” you’ll think that wasn’t enough and you can add a little more to the workout…

Is there a limit to how many times a week I can do this?

Yes, one.  I know you can do more than that.  I know your girlfriend runs track and she does 2 to 3 days per week.  I know you’ve been doing it more than that for years.  Yes, I know you want to speed this process up and that you have a goal and that you’ve been this weight for so long and {big gasp as I take a loud breath}…

You know I always say this:  you cannot burn the candle on both ends.  Concentrate on food or concentrate on workout.  But do not try to diet and beat yourself to a pulp because the only thing you will lose is ground.

Does this count as cardio?

Nope.  Now how do you like dem apples?  This is too anaerobic to count as cardio but I will tell you how you can make it cardio if you like.

I can’t run fast.  I’m not built to sprint.

Do you have a butt?  Right…get on the track.  Here’s the deal:  you are not a sprinter.  You never have been and you never will be.  And even if you were, you aren’t one now.  I’m sure your mechanics are frightening—don’t worry about it.  For what we want out of this, you’re fabulous at it.  What matters is you give the pavement everything you have once you are warmed up.  Nothing else matters.  I will give you tips on how to survive this and then soon learn how to master it so you really do feel like you are doing some work.

I look stupid and uncoordinated doing this.

Really?  To who?  The 75 year old man walking the track?  Girl, get over yourself.  The majority of people out there only care about their workout and the way they look.  They did not drive there so they could spend 30 min. ogling over you.  Now when we get to the beach workout, that’s a different story.

I thought you said you were going to do outdoor workouts–not track workouts.

This is outdoors, what’s wrong with you?  Unless you have some super long basement I’m not tuned into.   Day 2 and 3 are less about sprinting and are more about getting outside to the park or beach and working out.  Jeez Louise.  (Anybody else like that argument I just had with myself?

I’m afraid I’m going to get hurt.

Now this is a legitimate concern and there is always a level of risk you take on when you do anything high intensity or full out.  Take it slow in the beginning.  Remember, you’re not a sprinter so leave your ego in the car.  We get ourselves in trouble when we think we don’t have to warm up or pay attention to the fact that we’re not under 18 anymore.

My aim is to finish this series this week; I really do not want to drag it on.  Can you believe it’s already mid July?!  So far for New England this has been a wonderful summer.  I have zero complaints so I want to get this out to you ladies while we have the nice weather.  Check in tomorrow for the first workout.  Woop woop!!

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We’ve had four posts in the Summer Time series and instead of reviewing them for you and dragging this out with a 1200 word post (which by the way I try so hard not to go on that long), I’m going to give you the goods like I promised in bullet form:

Perfection Vs Excellence

Your weight, your shape, your progress and so on are based on a COLLECTION of what you do in the week, NOT on a single workout or cardio session.  If you get into that mindset of thinking you gained or lost weight based on a meal/cheat or cardio session, you will go bonkers trying to lose weight.  You actually lose/gain weight over several days.  It can be over a few days or as much as 8 or 9 days but not over 1 meal or missed cardio session.

SUMMER GUIDELINES

• You can faithfully miss 1 cardio session/week and it will not do a thing to you short term.
• Trust me when I say this, ease up on your schedule.  It will begin to feel like a grind if you give up too many fun things to make sure you make the gym.  Schedule in one fun thing per week.
• If you relax on the workout, make sure that you are not relaxing too much on the food.  It’s either or—not both.  See alcohol for what I mean by this.

Tomfoolery Vs Jackassery

When it comes to alcohol, it is not what you mix it with that is the problem nor is it the kind you choose.  So please do not bother wasting your time getting vodka over gin because of the calories or light beer vs full flavor, etc.  The problem with alcohol IS the alcohol.  Your body cannot process it and it bogs your liver down.  Instead of burning fat, it’s trying to get the toxins out.  That’s wasted time.  I say this all the time, “You do not gain weight drinking alcohol, you just don’t lose.”  If you’re losing a ½ pound to a pound a week—there’s your plateau.

SUMMER GUIDELINES

• I do not recommend you drinking every week.  Choose your battles.  Alongside killing progress, alcohol also kills definition.  So if you have great ab lines right now and you want to drink every week, kiss them good bye.
• Still losing weight = no alcohol
• Still losing weight but patient about it = 1 drink night per month
• Want to maintain = 2 drink nights per month divvied out as 1 night every other week
• Want to gain a few pounds = after about 6-8 weeks of drinking every week, that’ll happen.
• ALCOHOL IS NOT A CHEAT MEAL.  EVER.  EVER EVER.  If you are going to drink, drink.  But don’t try to lighten up the day to do so b/c it doesn’t matter.
• If you go out to eat and want to drink, no starch with the meal, drink AFTER you eat.  You’ll be less likely to order something stupid like fried avocado.

Working Out Vs Burning Out

I wish I could tell you how long I have been doing this and I always hear, “I love to do XYZ.  I will never stop loving it.”  That’s crap.  That goes for food, workouts and all forms of cardio except running (they are a special breed).   All work and no play made Jack a dull boy but it made Jill one crabby chic!  Get out of the gym and do something different.  Unless you live in Arizona where it has been over 107 degrees for like 2 months straight—at that point, just keep keepin’ on.

SUMMER GUIDELINES

• Get in at least 2 lifts in per week.
• Go to full bodies and drop the splits if you know you’ll be missing a lot of days.  You will not mess up your progress!
• Don’t fear change.  You didn’t get that body in one workout, you won’t lose it in one either but with that being said, do not cut your current schedule by more than 50% overall.
• Boot camp is not cardio–it’s more like what I call ‘conditioning’.  Good for maintenance, not always for loss; but more importantly you shouldn’t be doing it 5 days per week.  Limit how many times per week you do plyos or high impact.
• Yoga, pilates and any mind body classes are good for maintenance, but not for progress.  So if you are where you want to be, put them in!  This goes for any other kind of class that may involve outdoors or change of pace.

Perspective Vs Introspective

I love being a woman and I love serving women.  Never a dull work week. Nuff said.

SUMMER GUIDELINES

• Realize that we all have at least one friend that we wish would accidently wake up one day with an extra 15 pounds on her, covered in acne with out of control facial hair.  It never happens, but we can fantasize.
• If someone is bragging hardcore, they are massively insecure.  Give her love instead of dirty looks—something’s up.
• Know you bring something of value to the group.  There is something about you that none of them have and they want it.  It’s the law of womanhood.  Recognize what it is and secretly smile about it.
• YOU CAN CHANGE THE ATMOSPHERE OF THE NIGHT!  If it becomes a catty, nasty night you can change it.  You do not have to chime in and if you are really good, you can make them feel bad for being that way without being all “holier-than-thou” about it.

If I missed something specific you wanted to know, ask me below.  Next series is on outdoor workouts.  Let’s put some legs to these guidelines!  Woop woop!

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