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Kick Butt Running WorkoutsRunning workouts...you either love 'em, hate 'em or develop a love/hate relationship with 'em. So why do people who hate it keep pounding the pavement?
Running is definitely my number one kick butt cardio workout of choice. Interval running workouts are one of the best ways to tone the lower body, develop a healthy heart, build a leaner body and blast calories. Again, intervals are the secret to boosting your metabolism for a longer period of time and burn more calories. Remember, intervals are short bursts of intensity followed by a period of recovery. The other thing I love about these running workouts is that they only take between 20-30 minutes (major time saver) and, they still give you a kick butt workout. Added Bonus! I noticed when I first started incorporating interval running workouts into my plan that my long distance runs became so much easier and, I really started to cut minutes off my race times! Why Intervals Work In short, the intervals force the body to adapt and become more efficient at delivering oxygen to the working muscles (legs in this case) and, in turn, break down the lactic acid build up that is responsible for the burning sensation you get in your legs. At the same time, the higher intensity portion of the intervals enable the muscles to develop an increased tolerance to the lactic acid build-up, while also strengthening your heart and naturally improving your cardiovascular ability. As I have said before,we have been programmed to think that steady-paced cardio of 30, 45, or even 60 minutes is the key to weight loss. That is where we are going wrong! It is a fact...our bodies will adapt to these long heart pumping sessions when the same intensity is maintained throughout. In other words, our body adjusts, conserves energy and burns less calories. However, intervals don't allow our body to adjust and, in turn, our bodies burn more calories! In addition, the high-intensity intervals create an "after burn" that allows our body to melt away more calories for many hours following your workout. Cross Training However, you have to remember that running intervals should be limited to about 3 times a week and never two days in a row to avoid injury. Not only is running fairly hard on your body (ankles, knees, back) but, running focuses more on your quads (front, upper portion of legs) and your glutes (butt). For this reason, cross training should be an important element of your workout plan. Try a pre-designed elliptical workout, stepper workout or even a calorie blasting spinning class to better tone and develop your entire lower body. Combine these kick butt running workouts with a day of cross training and a couple days of steady pace runs and you will be well on your way to fitting back into your “skinny jeans”. Remember, a 45 minute run at a 10 minute mile pace blasts over 500 calories…now that some real motivations!
Here is a sample of what my week usually looks like for my workouts. To take the guess work out of it, I am working on a more specific monthly plan that you can follow.
Your Kick Butt Running Workouts
More Interesting Pages A complete guide for running a race.
Leave Running Workouts for Real Moms Real Fit home page
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