While I'm in the process of writing my second post on "Improvement," I'll share one of my favorite super workouts (yes, I just made that term up) - Interval Trail Sprints.
Go to a trail, not just any trail, a trail with elevation gain. Sprint 100% intensity down the trail, preferably uphill. The sprint should last 10 to 20 seconds. If this is a trail with short ups and down sprint uphill until you reach the peak. If this is a constant uphill slope (like climbing at mountain) sprint until 10-20 seconds have been reached. Now it's your rest period. Short up and down trail - rest by walking until the trail heads back up gradient. I don't want any of this distance runner stuff where you are able to jog during your rest period. If you can jog during your rest period that means you are not running at 100%. For the constant uphill trail - Rest 2-4 minutes and completely stop during your rest. If you try to walk you will only be walking uphill and actually wasting more energy instead of recovering. I recommend walking in place. In any circumstance rest 2-4 minutes. Repeat the interval 8-12 times. By the time you reach your fifth or sixth interval your sprint speed will start to slow down. This doesn't mean you can jog your intervals. You are still going all out, even if it is only 70% speed. When you get below 70% sprint speed, your workout is over with 8 intervals being the minimum.
Workout short version:
10-20 second 100% intensity uphill trail sprints
Rest 2-4 minutes
Repeat 8-12 times
For example, Mt. Tabor is a few blocks from my house. I run jog to Mt Tabor for a warmup and depending on which trail I take, it will be 1-3 intervals until I make it to the top (a 400 foot elevation gain). During these intervals, I walk in place for my rest period. After I reach the top, the rest of my workout is me walking back down hill on a different trail and sprinting back to the top. By the end of the workout, I have climbed (sprinted) up Mt Tabor 3-6 times.
So why is this a super workout?
- High intensity: burn a lot of calories in a short amount of time
- Muscle Building: every muscle in your body will build muscle. Legs are obvious by sprinting up a hill, but your upper body will also build muscle by your arm movement. In order to obtain 100% intensity, your arms need to be pumping with incredible force and your legs will follow. All of your lateral muscles will be working to help keep balance on the uneven trail surface
- Cardio: 10-20 second intervals at 100% intensity + elevation gain. Enough said
- Stress Reduction: Both being immersed in nature and exercise has been shown to reduce stress. Read my "Fresh Air" post.
- Overall body health: I don't feel like listing out all of the MANY different health benefits of being immersed in nature and exercising so I just grouped it in this category. Again read "Fresh Air."
That's my super workout for the day. Leave a comment about what you think about interval trail sprints (ITS) or results from your ITS workout. I also want to hear from you!! Share some of your super workouts that I can try.
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