Lift and tone your rear fast with this move, which activates your abs, hamstrings, and glutes and fires up your muscles. Watch this video to see a flyBarre instructor demonstrate your favorite—fast!—new exercise.
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Whether you consider yourself a tortoise or a hare, your workouts will benefit big time by periodically upping the tempo. “It not only helps you become a faster runner overall but also boosts your metabolism by forcing you to work harder and then recover,” notes David Siik, a running coach and instructor at Equinox in West Hollywood, Calif.
That’s because when you’re always running at the same pace, your body gets a little lazy. Take things up a notch—even for just a few minutes—and you leave that comfort zone, which translates into greater fitness gains. The big one: calorie burn. You can torch about 20 percent more calories simply by running an eight-minute versus a 10-minute mile. And when you do repeated speed intervals, you’re creating a bigger “afterburn,” with oxygen consumption (and therefore caloric expenditure) staying high as your body works to return to its pre-exercise state. You’ll also better engage your glutes and calves, which will help power you forward, adds Siik, while your abs work extra hard to help counter some of the torque that occurs at higher speeds.
You don’t have to be an elite athlete to reap the benefits. “Just doing one speed day a week where you up the pace for 8 to 10 minutes can make a difference,” notes Chris Heuisler, a certified running coach in Boston and the RunWestin concierge. Be sure to build up gradually, he warns: Too much of the fast stuff can lead to injuries like Achilles tendinitis, plantar fasciitis and shin splints, since the lower legs tend to bear much of the added impact that comes with speedwork. (Do speed workouts no more than twice a week.)
Finally, remember that you don’t need to run so hard that you feel like you’re going to lose your lunch all over your Nikes. “The key is to move away from that easy-run pace into an area where saying more than a couple of words at a time is difficult,” says Heuisler. And don’t worry: Like anything else, the more you do it, the better you’ll feel. Our handy guide will help you navigate the speedways.
More: 5 Fat-Burning Plyometric Exercises
The Run-Faster Warmup
You’re asking a lot of your body when you increase the intensity, so it’s crucial to warm up properly. Add these four moves before going faster, advises Eric Barron, coach of Track Club LA and cross-country coach at Santa Monica College. Oh, and always begin your runs with a few minutes at an easy pace.
Strides: Start to run at your regular pace, then take a few longer and slightly quicker steps. Do about four to six strides on each leg for about 250 feet (or about 25 seconds).
Leg swings: Stand with feet hip-width apart. Swing left leg forward and back 8 to 10 times, moving through the full range of motion. Switch legs and repeat. Then swing each leg side to side 8 to 10 times.
Carioca: Think of this like the grapevine move from aerobics. Stand with feet hip-width apart, knees soft. Push off with left foot, crossing it behind right foot, then step to the right with right foot. Then cross your left foot in front of you and step to the right again with right foot. Keep moving to the right for 8 to 10 reps, then repeat, switching directions.
Skips: Skip forward, bringing front foot high above knee and using arms for momentum. Continue for about 100 feet (or about 10 seconds). Then repeat, this time bringing front foot to about midcalf height. Finish series by lifting front leg just above ankle.
More: 7 Moves for a Better Butt
3 Get-Faster Workouts
Treadmill trainer
By manipulating the machine’s speed and incline, you get a tough workout you can easily adjust to suit your pace, says creator David Siik.
How it works: After a three- to five-minute easy warm-up, run fast for 30 seconds and recover with a slow jog for one minute. Repeat six times, building each segment by 0.2 mph. Next, run at your last speed, adding a 1 percent incline to each 30-second interval. (Rest for one minute between each.) Repeat six times, finishing at a 5 percent grade. Last, run at your fastest speed on a 5 percent incline. Begin with a 30-second interval, recover, then add 10 seconds to each interval until you’re at 60 seconds. End with a few minutes of easy jogging. For more, go to http://ift.tt/1t5HRzp.
Hill climber
Strength and speed go hand in hand, which is why hill work is so essential to runners. For this workout, find a steep hill that takes about 20 seconds to run up. Core stability is crucial to good running form, says Heuisler; adding planks to your warm-up will help you build strength in that area. Finish with a few minutes of easy jogging.
How it works: Warm up with 10 minutes of easy jogging, followed by two one-minute planks (forearms on floor, legs extended behind you, body forming a line from head to toe). Sprint up the hill at close-to-maximum effort for 10 to 20 seconds. Walk slowly back down to recover. Repeat four to five times, building up to 10 to 12 reps.
Track Star
No traffic lights and a forgiving surface make tracks ideal for speedwork. And the distance is a cinch to measure—typically about a quarter mile around. Plus, “it’s easy to stay consistent, even during your speed intervals,” notes Barron. These repeats help you build both strength and stamina, challenging you to work harder with each sprint session.
How it works: Warm up with 10 minutes of easy jogging. Then do the dynamic stretches (see Getting Warmer, previous page). Run once around the track at a hard effort, then jog slowly to recover. Repeat for a total of four to six intervals. Finish with 5 to 10 minutes of easy jogging. Each week, add another interval until you get to a total of eight.
How to Build a Better Running Playlist
One simple way to get swift: Turn up the tunes. Research shows that it can be a great motivator. To build a better playlist, download these music apps.
PaceDJ: Have a favorite running tune, but its tempo doesn’t fit your workout? No problem. This app will speed up or slow down the song to match your target pace. ($3; pacedj.com)
TempoRun: Once you select your pace (speedy or snail), the app analyzes the songs in your library, then categorizes them by beats per minute. ($3; temporunapp.com)
FitRadio: Choose a genre plus your target pace (for speedwork, that’s between 120 and 140 beats per minute), and this app will formulate a playlist to match your taste and preferred tempo. (Free; fitradio.com)
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Running just might be the most convenient workout going. You don’t need to be a skilled athlete, and there’s no fancy equipment involved; just lace up your sneaks and go. It’s also one of the most efficient ways to blast fat and burn calories—about 600 an hour.
Sure, walking has its benefits, but research shows that running kicks its butt when it comes to shedding pounds. One recent study of 47,000 runners and walkers, from the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory in Berkeley, Calif., found that the runners burned more calories and had a far greater decrease in BMI over a six-year period. The joggers who started out heaviest (those with a BMI over 28) lost up to 90 percent more weight than the walkers did.
Dropping pounds and toning up are hardly the only benefits of this killer cardio workout: You’ll also reduce your risk of heart disease and diabetes, boost your mood, temper stress and build muscle, especially in the lower body and core. You don’t even need to dedicate a lot of time to reap these rewards; do 20 to 30 minutes, three to four days a week, and you’ll see significant improvement.
Ready to hit the road? Here’s a plan for beginning joggers. And it’s smart to add in one day of cross-training (think cycling or swimming) to rev up calorie burn and help prevent injury. Soon enough, you’ll feel as if you were born to run.
Your stats: You’re new to running and generally don’t work out consistently.
The goal: By the end of 10 weeks, be able to run for 30 minutes straight—and build up to a 5K challenge.
Your coach: Susan Paul is an exercise physiologist and training program director at Orlando Track Shack Fitness Club in Orlando, Florida.
The plan: Very flexible, it involves a combination of run/walk intervals three days a week. Start with three minutes of running and one minute of walking for a total workout of 12 minutes. As you get fitter, increase the running by one or two minutes, and decrease the walking. By Week 8, you should be running without any walking. Your ideal pace? One where you can carry on a conversation, but still feel like you’re doing a brisk walk.
HERE’S YOUR GUIDE: Beginner 5K Training Plan
Train smarter!
1. Start off on the right foot
Making a small investment in gear now will save you loads of aggravation later—you’ll feel more comfortable and avoid aches. “A good pair of running shoes can help ward off injuries like knee pain,” says Paul. Get a gait analysis at your local running store (it’s usually free) to help determine your ideal shoe type.
2. Stop side stitches
Beginners are often plagued by this cramp, which strikes like a boxer’s body blow and happens when an overworked diaphragm begins to spasm. To ease the pain, slow down and forcefully exhale each time your opposite foot strikes (so if the stitch is on your right side, breathe out when your left foot comes down). It also helps to massage the area with two fingers. And don’t eat too much before you head out; a full stomach can be a culprit.
3. Think tortoise, not hare
“The biggest mistake most new runners make is they start out way too fast,” says Paul. “It takes time for your body to get used to the demands of running. You have to condition your muscles, ligaments, tendons and bones, not just your heart and lungs.” No matter how tempted you are to push yourself, don’t. Slow and steady wins the calorie-burn race!
MORE: 7 Tips for Running Your First Race
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Gear for getting to the finish line feeling great
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Running just might be the most convenient workout going. You don’t need to be a skilled athlete, and there’s no fancy equipment involved; just lace up your sneaks and go. It’s also one of the most efficient ways to blast fat and burn calories—about 600 an hour.
Sure, walking has its benefits, but research shows that running kicks its butt when it comes to shedding pounds. One recent study of 47,000 runners and walkers, from the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory in Berkeley, Calif., found that the runners burned more calories and had a far greater decrease in BMI over a six-year period. The joggers who started out heaviest (those with a BMI over 28) lost up to 90 percent more weight than the walkers did.
Dropping pounds and toning up are hardly the only benefits of this killer cardio workout: You’ll also reduce your risk of heart disease and diabetes, boost your mood, temper stress and build muscle, especially in the lower body and core. You don’t even need to dedicate a lot of time to reap these rewards; do 20 to 30 minutes, three to four days a week, and you’ll see significant improvement.
Ready to hit the road? Here’s a plan for intermediate runners. And it’s smart to add in one day of cross-training (think cycling or swimming) to rev up calorie burn and help prevent injury. Soon enough, you’ll feel as if you were born to run.
Your stats: You’re a “sometimes” runner who does at least three miles without stopping a couple of days a week, most weeks.
The goal: Increase your endurance, run for an hour straight and tackle a 10K by the end of 10 weeks.
Your coach: Jonathan Cane is an exercise physiologist and co-founder of City Coach Multisport in New York City.
The plan: Do three different running workouts every week, on alternate days. In the first run, build speed through intervals; start with a two-minute speed burst at a challenging but sustainable pace, followed by three minutes of easier recovery jogging. Repeat six times for a total of 30 minutes. As the weeks pass, alternate between building up the speed bursts and balancing out the recovery time. For your second weekly workout, which focuses on mixing speed and endurance, begin with running for a couple of miles and build up to 4 ½ miles over the course of the plan. The third day helps you build endurance. Focus on covering the distance, not your pace. Kick off with a 2 ½-mile run. Over 10 weeks, try to work up to running 5 ½ miles.
HERE’S YOUR GUIDE: Intermediate 10K Training Plan
Train smarter!
1. Make three the magic number
If you’re used to running twice a week, says Cane, “three times is your sweet spot—you’ll get a big bump in both speed and endurance, but it’s not so much more that you’ll risk getting injured.” And if weight loss is a goal, remember that adding just one extra day of running helps you burn an additional 300 to 400 calories, depending on your pace and size.
2. It’s OK to hit the treadmill
Some running purists say there’s no substitute for the outdoors, but all things being equal, “your heart and lungs don’t really know the difference between the road and the treadmill,” says Cane. So if it’s late in the day, raining or just not a good time to go outside but you really want to keep up your training, feel free to hit the “on” button. To compensate for a lack of wind resistance and natural terrain changes, keep the treadmill deck set at a 1% incline.
3. Turn down the music
Yes, pumping JT through your earbuds can power you up that hill, but don’t forget to tune in to how your body feels. “At this stage, you know you can already run for a while,” says Cane. “But it’s important to be aware of cues: how heavy you are breathing, or if you have a small twinge in your knee and need to slow down. It helps keep you from getting injured and makes you more aware of when you can bump up your pace or give a little more effort.”
MORE: 7 Tips for Running Your First Race
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Running just might be the most convenient workout going. You don’t need to be a skilled athlete, and there’s no fancy equipment involved; just lace up your sneaks and go. It’s also one of the most efficient ways to blast fat and burn calories—about 600 an hour.
Sure, walking has its benefits, but research shows that running kicks its butt when it comes to shedding pounds. One recent study of 47,000 runners and walkers, from the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory in Berkeley, Calif., found that the runners burned more calories and had a far greater decrease in BMI over a six-year period. The joggers who started out heaviest (those with a BMI over 28) lost up to 90 percent more weight than the walkers did.
Dropping pounds and toning up are hardly the only benefits of this killer cardio workout: You’ll also reduce your risk of heart disease and diabetes, boost your mood, temper stress and build muscle, especially in the lower body and core. You don’t even need to dedicate a lot of time to reap these rewards; do 20 to 30 minutes, three to four days a week, and you’ll see significant improvement.
Ready to hit the road? Here’s a plan for experienced runners. And it’s smart to add in one day of cross-training (think cycling or swimming) to rev up calorie burn and help prevent injury. Soon enough, you’ll feel as if you were born to run.
Your stats: You run three to four times a week for at least five miles nonstop.
The goal: Boost your overall performance—speed, endurance and distance—over the course of 12 weeks, then challenge yourself with a half-marathon.
Your coach: Andrew Kastor is coaching director at Asics L.A. Marathon and head coach at Mammoth Track Club in Mammoth, California.
The plan: In Week 1, run three to four miles at an easy pace (think 5 on a scale of 1 to 10) on your first day; four to five miles on Days 2 and 3; and five to six on Day 4. In subsequent weeks, keep doing one easy-pace day, and vary half-mile-long to mile-long speed intervals. The detailed schedule also tells you how to add in race-pace workouts, so you can hold your speed for longer distances.
HERE’S YOUR GUIDE: Expert Half-Marathon Training Plan
Train smarter!
1. Buddy up
Face it, sometimes you just don’t feel like going for a run, especially when you’ve been seriously challenging yourself. Having someone by your side is a great way to make the miles more tolerable and maintain your performance. “When you train with a group or pack, you almost always run a little harder or faster,” says Kastor. Grab a friend or find a new jogging pal at buddyup.com or the Road Runners Club of America (rrca.org). Choose partners who are a bit better than you; you want a challenge but don’t want to get burned out or injured.
2. Take the plunge
Kastor, who works with many elite runners (including Olympian Deena Kastor, his wife), recommends a cold bath right after a hard workout. “It helps reduce inflammation by constricting the blood vessels, so there’s less blood pooling through the muscle tissue, and you’re not as sore the next day,” he explains. Massage can speed recovery, too: Give yourself a five-minute rubdown using a foam roller; roll slowly up and down your legs, butt, shoulders and back. You can also alleviate soreness by gently pressing into the area with your fingers.
3. Write down your goal
You’re amping up your workouts—pump up your motivation, too! Jot your goal time for the half-marathon or just 13.1 on a sticky note, and post it onto your mirror. As Kastor puts it: “Seeing that number will remind you to make the best choices for your body.”
MORE: 7 Tips for Running Your First Race
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“I eat mostly veggies and I still haven’t lost any weight!” the woman wailed. A mom of three, she was in my office on her first ever visit to a dietitian, 20 pounds overweight—and unknowingly derailing herself with her limited diet. Time and again, I see both classic and modern-day eating mistakes that have a huge impact on weight, health, and quality of life. These are the top blunders and the simple solutions I tell clients that will help you, too.
Assuming ‘good’ calories don’t count
I constantly see women overdoing it on whole grains because they’re good for them. They are so important for your health, but large portions cause weight gain, period. The other day at a Mexican restaurant, I noticed women ordering gigantic bowls of brown rice with beans and chicken and cheese and guacamole, and it took every inch of willpower not to tell them, “Those foods are all good for you, but together they’re way more calories than your body needs at one meal!” The truth is, unless you burn off as many calories as you take in, you’ll put on pounds. Even fruit and veggies (gasp!) get converted to fat.
RD Rx: Know what your daily portions should be. Here’s a plan for a 5-foot-4, 150-pound woman who walks 30 minutes two to three days a week:
4 servings of veggies (1 serving = 1 cup) 4 servings of whole grains (1 serving = a slice of whole-grain bread or a half cup of brown rice) 4 servings of lean protein (1 serving = 3 ounces of meat or a half cup of beans) 4 servings of healthy fat (1 serving = 1 tablespoon of oil or a quarter of an avocado) Ditching a food group (or three)
I’m seeing more women on vegan and gluten-free diets, not for ethical or health reasons but to shed pounds. Thing is, if you don’t replace those lost carbs, protein, and fat—a.k.a. macronutrients—it can lead to weight gain, fatigue, irritability, and digestive issues. You need the Goldilocks approach to macronutrients: not too little, not too much.
RD Rx: Complement a veggie-centric meal with a half-cup of beans, or a couple tablespoons of nuts; get in healthy carbs with gluten-free quinoa or brown rice. You’ll see a difference! One vegan client used to eat just raw veggies, oil, and vinegar for dinner. Once she switched to a few cups of roasted veggies with wild rice, herbed lentils, and a few tablespoons of walnuts—adding carbs and protein—she broke her weight-loss plateau (thanks, newly revved metabolism) and vanquished her chronic bloating and fatigue.
Not eating often enough
It may be tempting to “save up” calories for dinner out or the weekend, but that can sap energy, mess with your mood, and force your body to burn muscle for fuel—which slows your metabolism. One study found that when people ate just one large meal late in the day, they upped their risk of prediabetes. I once had a client who stopped losing weight because she moved her afternoon snack to the evening—which meant a seven-hour stretch of no food between lunch and dinner and two rounds of eating at night, when her activity was low.
RD Rx: It’s simple: Eat every three to five hours. Once my client moved her snack back to 4 p.m., the scale dial budged again.
Eating your feelings
One woman I work with regularly overate. She had a high-pressure job and a demanding family, and she was a perfectionist with a spotless home. I’ll never forget the stunned look on her face when I asked how she felt while overeating. “It feels like reckless abandon, like a moment of freedom,” she said. Ta-da!
RD Rx: Keep a log of what you eat, how much, and your feelings before and after. It’s an eye-opener; one client saw that she craved crunchy or chewy foods when she was mad at her boss or husband. The trick is to replace eating with other coping mechanisms. The perfectionist started going salsa dancing; the thrill of polishing off a pizza dwindled, and she shrank two sizes in three months.
Doing a quick fix
Every woman I’ve counseled has tried a fad diet. A drastic low-cal plan sends your body into conservation mode, so you burn calories slower. It can also cause headaches, moodiness, fatigue, cravings, and, of course, only temporary weight loss.
RD Rx: Jot this on a sticky note for your fridge: NO fad diet is good for my health or happiness. Then avoid them like the plague.
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