There will always be those days where you just don't feel like doing the same run that you have been doing for the last several training sessions. Or maybe you love to run outdoors but the weather is not cooperating.
Whether you are looking for a change from the same old stale routine or you are stuck in a rut and can't seem to improve, treadmill intervals maybe what you need to revitalize your workouts. Interval training is described as intense bouts of exercise followed by either an active or static rest period. The idea is that you can elevate your heart rate higher by using short intense work periods more easily then you can by jogging for 20 minutes at a comfortable pace. The rest period conditions your body to return to homeostasis and lower your heart rate to a manageable state. This combination of intense work followed by rest has many performance and health benefits.
1- Cardiovascular efficiency is improved by forcing the heart to work harder to bring oxygen to working muscles. The heart muscle becomes stronger.
2- The more intense the work period the more endorphins are released into the blood stream giving you a sense of well being and a positive mental outlook.
3-The more intense the work interval the harder your body has to work not only to complete the desired workload but to bring your body to rest. This intense work burns more calories and you will continue to burn more calories at a faster rate and for a longer duration following your workout.
4-Interval training preserves and develops lean mass. Because the work is highly anaerobic their is generally more muscle being used to complete the work period, therefore developing lean mass. Because the training sessions are shorter in duration and more intense you are not using valuable muscle for energy like you would do with distance running. Have you ever seen a muscular distance runner?
5-Intense interval training promotes the production of testosterone and growth hormone both aid in devouring useless body fat.
6-Interval training is time efficient. The amount of quality work you can do in 20 minutes will far out weigh an hour long session of low intensity work.
7-By using a treadmill you know exactly how much work and rest you are completing, the treadmill will not slow down to accommodate your lack of condition.
Below I have given you an example of a treadmill interval program, use the following guidelines.
*Adjust your speed up or down depending on your fitness level, use the below program as a guideline, make adjustments if necessary.
*Make sure you are comfortable jumping on and off treadmill while it is moving, use the hand rails on the treadmill to assist you.
reps incline Work/Rest
Difficult 8x each @ 9.5, 10.5, 11.5 MPH / 10 degree incline 20 sec / 40 sec
Moderate 8x each @ 8.5, 9.5, 10.5 MPH / 10 degree incline 20 sec / 40 sec
Easy 8x each @ 7.5, 8, 8.5 MPH / 10 degree incline 20 sec / 40 sec
Wednesday, June 9, 2010
Wednesday, June 2, 2010
CARBOHYDRATE USE MAXIMIZES THE RESULTS OF INTENSE TRAINING SESSIONS
For athletes participating in lengthy intense training sessions lasting 60-90 minutes in duration and repeated over consecutive days, it is imperative that the athlete’s carbohydrate intake is adequate. If you find yourself unable to recuperate between training sessions, additional calories from carbohydrates may be necessary. If you feel constantly fatigued, are unable to train at the proper intensity level and you are having a difficult time maintaining good sleep habits your carbohydrate intake may be inadequate. You are wasting your time and effort in the gym if you are not following a solid nutrition plan. Your carbohydrate intake during heavy bouts of exercise should represent close to 70% of your total caloric intake. Carbohydrate sources are found mainly in foods grown from the soil. Examples of such foods are whole grains, cereals, fruits, and vegetables. The grains, cereals, fruits, and vegetables are converted to usable energy and stored in the liver and muscle cells as glycogen and in the blood stream as glucose. These are the fuels used during intense bouts of exercise. The most ideal time to replenish your lost stores of glycogen and glucose are within the first thirty minutes following exercise. Post exercise your body releases a greater volume of insulin into the blood stream. The additional insulin acts as a transport system taking the converted glycogen and introducing it back into the liver cells, muscle cells, and blood stream. This process not only helps your body recover from the last training session but aids in preparing you for the next intense training session. Remember that proper nutrition is as essential to your training regimen as the training itself. Without proper nutrition you will never be able to realize your physical potential.
Wednesday, May 12, 2010
"Ketttlebell Blowout"
Here is a Kettlebell routine worth a try. Find a kettlebell weight you can handle with moderate difficulty for twenty double hand swings. Make sure you are properly warmed-up before you begin this protocol.
This kettlebell routine should be completed with as little rest as possible. Use a stop watch to give you feedback on duration of program. Each time you complete this workout try to reduce the amount of time it takes.
*22 KB Double Hand Swings
*11 KB Single Arm Upright Rows (each arm)
*11 KB Single Arm Snatches (each arm)
*22 KB Alternating Arm Swings
Repeat with these rep combination's:
*18 *15 *9
*9 *7 *5
*9 *7 *5
*18 *18 *9
Go through the entire regimen twice, Try to complete under thirty minutes.
If this sounds like fun, come out and join our team, we would love to have you!
This kettlebell routine should be completed with as little rest as possible. Use a stop watch to give you feedback on duration of program. Each time you complete this workout try to reduce the amount of time it takes.
*22 KB Double Hand Swings
*11 KB Single Arm Upright Rows (each arm)
*11 KB Single Arm Snatches (each arm)
*22 KB Alternating Arm Swings
Repeat with these rep combination's:
*18 *15 *9
*9 *7 *5
*9 *7 *5
*18 *18 *9
Go through the entire regimen twice, Try to complete under thirty minutes.
If this sounds like fun, come out and join our team, we would love to have you!
Tuesday, May 4, 2010
"The Track and Kettlebell Session"
It's Tuesday morning after a day of rain, which left the weather perfect for a great training session. I have always enjoyed working in the heat and this Tuesday morning there was a combination of moderate heat and humidity.
Our session took place at Newton Lee elementary school, at 5:45am in Ashburn. We created a work/run interval protocol using the schools oval track, kettlebells and mats for body weight exercises. We set up six exercise stations evenly spread around the oval track. The track is slightly less then a quarter mile around. Exercises used were as follows:
*KB Dead Lift to Upright Row x10
*Supine Toe Touch x20 or Leg Lowerings x20
*KB Single Arm Swings or Double Arm Swings x10
*Rockies or Reaches x10
*KB Push Press x10 or KB Rows x10
*Mountain Climbers x16 or Burpees x5
The idea was to complete each exercise and sprint to the next station completing the entire oval as fast as possible. A one minute rest interval was given at the completion of each lap. We managed six laps before reaching exhaustion. I loved it and you will too. If you enjoy pushing yourself and motivating others this is the Bootcamp for you. Come out and join us, we would love to have you as part of our team.
Our session took place at Newton Lee elementary school, at 5:45am in Ashburn. We created a work/run interval protocol using the schools oval track, kettlebells and mats for body weight exercises. We set up six exercise stations evenly spread around the oval track. The track is slightly less then a quarter mile around. Exercises used were as follows:
*KB Dead Lift to Upright Row x10
*Supine Toe Touch x20 or Leg Lowerings x20
*KB Single Arm Swings or Double Arm Swings x10
*Rockies or Reaches x10
*KB Push Press x10 or KB Rows x10
*Mountain Climbers x16 or Burpees x5
The idea was to complete each exercise and sprint to the next station completing the entire oval as fast as possible. A one minute rest interval was given at the completion of each lap. We managed six laps before reaching exhaustion. I loved it and you will too. If you enjoy pushing yourself and motivating others this is the Bootcamp for you. Come out and join us, we would love to have you as part of our team.
Tuesday, April 27, 2010
"Another Day To Get Better"
The rain finally gave way so we could get back outside and do some serious kettlebell training. We started our session using the weighted jump ropes. Everyone in the group loves the weighted ropes, they are much more physically demanding on your hands, forearms and shoulders. The group started out with 100 revolutions using the three pound jump rope. The jump rope elevated our body temperatures and increased our heart rates for sure. We calmed our heart rates a bit with some active and static stretching. We elevated the heart rate again and fatigued our lower bodies with 50 prisoner squats.
Once we were all sufficiently warmed up and ready for more we turned our focus to a few upper body and core strengthening exercises using the the Slastix resistance bands. The following exercises were used.
*2x20 partner high rows
*2x20 rotational rows
*2x10 external rotation
*2x15 bicep curl
*2x15 tricep extension
*2x10 push-ups
The meat of the program consisted of 10 rounds of 2 minutes. Each series of exercise or super set started every 2 minutes. After the completion of the super set we had the remainder of the 2 minutes to rest. The faster you completed your work, the more rest you would have, and conversely the slower you worked the less rest you had between rounds. The exercises and repetitions used for each round were as follows:
*30 revolutions with the 1 pound jump rope
*10 KB push presses
*20 KB swings
Try this one at home or come by and join us, we would love to have you as a part of our team.
Once we were all sufficiently warmed up and ready for more we turned our focus to a few upper body and core strengthening exercises using the the Slastix resistance bands. The following exercises were used.
*2x20 partner high rows
*2x20 rotational rows
*2x10 external rotation
*2x15 bicep curl
*2x15 tricep extension
*2x10 push-ups
The meat of the program consisted of 10 rounds of 2 minutes. Each series of exercise or super set started every 2 minutes. After the completion of the super set we had the remainder of the 2 minutes to rest. The faster you completed your work, the more rest you would have, and conversely the slower you worked the less rest you had between rounds. The exercises and repetitions used for each round were as follows:
*30 revolutions with the 1 pound jump rope
*10 KB push presses
*20 KB swings
Try this one at home or come by and join us, we would love to have you as a part of our team.
Wednesday, April 21, 2010
"The Gloria Special"
Another great day for Kettlebell Bootcamp! Wait a minute, everyday is a great day for Kettlebell Bootcamp! We started the session warming ourselves up with weighted jump ropes.
*60 revolutions with a 3 pound rope
*60 revolutions with a 2 pound rope
*60 revolutions with a 1 pound rope
From there we used a KB for chops and lifts.
*10 chops and lifts elbow to shoulder
*10 chops and lifts waist to shoulder and
*10 chops and lifts knee to shoulder
Each set of chops and lifts were performed from both sides, left to right and right to left.
We elevated our heart rates once again with
*60 KB swings
Onto the god father of all upper body strength development exercises the basic push-up. We split the team into 2 groups, 1st group worked while the 2nd group rest and then switch, 2nd group worked while the 1st group rest. Each group performed
*30 push-ups
*25 push-ups
*20 push-ups
*15 push-ups
*10 push-ups and
*5 Push-ups
To make this routine even more difficult while each group was resting they had to keep their hands in contact with the ground.
We elevated the heart rate once again with a series of lateral line hops.
*30 seconds of lateral line hops followed by 15 seconds of rest. We completed four sets.
It was time for a water break and a teaching sessions on how to properly complete exercises that were going to be used in the final minutes of this training session.
Each exercise was performed for one minute with 20 seconds rest between each work interval. The exercises we used were.
*KB dead lift with an upright row
*KB single arm alternating swing
*Sit-ups
*Fighting rope double arm and single arm swings
*KB figure 8's in a squat position
This session kept up a fast tempo from the first jump rope to the last figure 8. Everyone definitely took a huge step toward realizing their fitness goals.
If this sounds more interesting then spending 30 minutes on the elliptical, give me a call and we will get you started on one of our teams!
*60 revolutions with a 3 pound rope
*60 revolutions with a 2 pound rope
*60 revolutions with a 1 pound rope
From there we used a KB for chops and lifts.
*10 chops and lifts elbow to shoulder
*10 chops and lifts waist to shoulder and
*10 chops and lifts knee to shoulder
Each set of chops and lifts were performed from both sides, left to right and right to left.
We elevated our heart rates once again with
*60 KB swings
Onto the god father of all upper body strength development exercises the basic push-up. We split the team into 2 groups, 1st group worked while the 2nd group rest and then switch, 2nd group worked while the 1st group rest. Each group performed
*30 push-ups
*25 push-ups
*20 push-ups
*15 push-ups
*10 push-ups and
*5 Push-ups
To make this routine even more difficult while each group was resting they had to keep their hands in contact with the ground.
We elevated the heart rate once again with a series of lateral line hops.
*30 seconds of lateral line hops followed by 15 seconds of rest. We completed four sets.
It was time for a water break and a teaching sessions on how to properly complete exercises that were going to be used in the final minutes of this training session.
Each exercise was performed for one minute with 20 seconds rest between each work interval. The exercises we used were.
*KB dead lift with an upright row
*KB single arm alternating swing
*Sit-ups
*Fighting rope double arm and single arm swings
*KB figure 8's in a squat position
This session kept up a fast tempo from the first jump rope to the last figure 8. Everyone definitely took a huge step toward realizing their fitness goals.
If this sounds more interesting then spending 30 minutes on the elliptical, give me a call and we will get you started on one of our teams!
Friday, April 16, 2010
"John R."
I have a thirteen year old Kettlebell Bootcamp participant named John R. who gives me an outstanding effort everyday he shows up. Today was no different, after a warm-up with weighted jump ropes and kettlebell chops and lifts we started the beef of the program.
We used a 16 kg kettlebell and a 2 lb jump rope for our first series of exercises.
*60 kb swings 60 revolutions with jump rope
*40 kb swings 40 revolutions with jump rope
*20 kb swings 20 revolutions with jump rope
start to finish 7:12 seconds
After a short break with some fast foot ladder work we started our second series of exercises. Using 1 minute of work followed by 20 seconds of rest we did three circuits of the following exercises.
*12 inch lateral hurdle jump (20 jumps)
*Fast foot ladder exercise
*10 KB Push Presses
One time through each of the three exercises took the entire 60 seconds
After another water break we completed our third and final circuit of exercises. We used a work/rest interval of 60sec./10sec. for these movements. Each movements was performed for the entire 60 seconds. Exercises used were as follows
*Fighting rope combination single arm swing, double arm swing with jump and rotational throws
*KB combination RDL and front squat
*Pummeling and tug of war
After a cool down and stretch our session came to a close, just another day of Kettlebell Bootcamp.
Try these workout at home or come and join us, we would love to have you!
We used a 16 kg kettlebell and a 2 lb jump rope for our first series of exercises.
*60 kb swings 60 revolutions with jump rope
*40 kb swings 40 revolutions with jump rope
*20 kb swings 20 revolutions with jump rope
start to finish 7:12 seconds
After a short break with some fast foot ladder work we started our second series of exercises. Using 1 minute of work followed by 20 seconds of rest we did three circuits of the following exercises.
*12 inch lateral hurdle jump (20 jumps)
*Fast foot ladder exercise
*10 KB Push Presses
One time through each of the three exercises took the entire 60 seconds
After another water break we completed our third and final circuit of exercises. We used a work/rest interval of 60sec./10sec. for these movements. Each movements was performed for the entire 60 seconds. Exercises used were as follows
*Fighting rope combination single arm swing, double arm swing with jump and rotational throws
*KB combination RDL and front squat
*Pummeling and tug of war
After a cool down and stretch our session came to a close, just another day of Kettlebell Bootcamp.
Try these workout at home or come and join us, we would love to have you!
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