The Great Pumpkin Workout

Welcome to another edition of workout Wednesday! This week we are having some fun with a pumpkin. I picked up a 9 lb pumpkin from the grocery store and realized that a pumpkin is very similar to a medicine ball. With everyone going pumpkin-everything crazy lately, I thought a full body pumpkin workout would be a fun way to celebrate the upcoming fall holidays. Maybe when we're done, we can make a pie with it. It's called balance. 

Pumpkin or medicine ball...you decide.

The Great Pumpkin Workout

Repeat each exercise for the numbers of reps indicated below, moving quickly from one exercise to the next. Repeat 3 times. If you don't have a pumpkin, then you can do this workout with a medicine ball. 

SQUAT WITH OVERHEAD PRESS x 12

FORWARD LUNGE WITH STRAIGHT ARM TWIST (ALTERNATING LEGS) x 12 EACH LEG

LATERAL SQUAT (RIGHT LEG LEAD) x 9

LATERAL SQUAT (LEFT LEG LEAD) x 9

RUSSIAN TWIST X 6 EACH SIDE

LIFT AND CHOP  X 6 EACH SIDE

AB REACH x 9

CARDIO - LATERAL JUMPS OVER THE PUMPKIN FOR ONE MINUTE

No worries. If I drop it, I'll just make pumpkin pie. 

Have questions? Leave them in the comments or be a part of my new series "Ask the Trainer" and have your questions answered in a future blog post.

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Coach Lea

I am a NASM personal trainer and RRCA adult distance running coach that specializes in strength training for runners. I offer in-person training in the Shredshed, online training and Fit to Run bootcamps. If you are interested in a more in-depth running or strength training plan, please contact me. Have questions? I'd love to help. 

While I am a certified personal trainer, I am not your personal trainer. Since I don't know your exercise abilities, injury background or medical history, please see your doctor before beginning any new exercise program.

How to Banish Shin Splints Forever

No one ever said "You're a pain in the shin!" but they should, because it seems to me that shin pain (aka spin splints) are much more common and annoying than a pain in the butt.

I know the feeling. You start running (or start running again), everything is going fine but then you're sidelined by shin splints. It is a very common problem among new runners, but luckily one that is easily treatable. The medical name for spin splits is Tibial Stress Syndrome and while they are metaphorically a pain in the butt, they are literally a pain in the shins. Shin splints are a result of inflammation in the muscle tissue in the front of your leg, generally from overuse or too-much-too-soon.

If you experience mild to moderate discomfort in the shin area when running, you may be experiencing shin splints. Here are a few things you can do to help reduce pain so you can get back to running. Everyone is different, so if you are not improving or the pain gets worse, please see your doctor. You may have a stress fracture or other condition more serious than shin splints. Please don't read blogs for medical advice.

REST

The first step to healing your shin splints is to rest to allow your shins to heal. Low impact cross training like swimming or biking are your best bets to keep up your cardio fitness while you heal.

ICE

Ice your shins to help reduce inflammation. Try icing for 30 minutes on/30 minutes off multiple times throughout the day. 

COMPRESSION

Compression can help circulate blood flow and stimulate healing. Calf sleeves or compression socks while resting is a good place to start.

STRENGTHEN

Try this exercise to build strength around the shin bone.

With bare feet place your heel on the edge of a step or curb with your foot hanging off the edge. With your legs straight, point your toes as far down as you can, then point your toes up as far as you can, repeat rapidly for 30 seconds.

Now bend your knees at a 45 degree angle (about half way to a full squat) and repeat the same thing with bent knees.

Rest for 1 minute

Repeat two more times

Repeat every day

Struggling with shin splints? Have questions? Leave them in the comments or be a part of my new series "Ask the Trainer" and have your questions answered in a future blog post.

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Coach Lea

I am a NASM personal trainer and RRCA adult distance running coach that specializes in strength training for runners. I offer in-person training in the Shredshed, online training and Fit to Run bootcamps. If you are interested in a more in-depth running or strength training plan, please contact me. Have questions? I'd love to help. 

While I am a certified personal trainer, I am not your personal trainer. Since I don't know your exercise abilities, injury background or medical history, please see your doctor before beginning any new exercise program.

Interval Track Workout to Increase Speed

Welcome to another edition of Workout Wednesday! A few weeks ago I wrote a post called types of running workouts to increase speed and I received some feedback that while it was interesting to learn about the types of workouts, people were looking for the specific workouts they could do to increase speed. 

It is hard to provide general interval training plans for people that I don't know. As a running coach, I develop training plans based on my client's current abilities, while keeping in mind their specific goals and limitations. 

It is challenging to assign specific running paces to use for intervals on the internet. One pace would be much too easy for some runners and much too challenging for others. Trying to run at an arbitrary pace because a blog post told you to can lead to injury, overtraining and burnout. AKA don't do it. 

I can get around this limitation by providing paces based on your current 5K pace. This way everyone can work at their own level based on a recently timed race. Have you ran a 5K recently? If not, just map out 3.1 miles on the road and record the time it takes you to complete. Run this 5K as you would an actual 5K race, moderately faster than what is comfortable. It shouldn't be a light easy jog and it shouldn't be an all-out effort run. The sweet spot is somewhere in the middle. Once you have established your current 5K pace, you'll be able to determine the appropriate pace to run each interval. It is important to run based on your current 5K pace, not a 5K race you ran 3 years ago and not the 5K pace you hope to run one day. You should only increase your interval paces when your 5k pace proves to be faster. Got it? 

THE TRACK

Track workouts are often described in meters which can be confusing to those of us who are used to measuring distance in miles. The track makes it very easy to measure distance in meters. You just need to count your laps:

200 meters is 1/2 lap of the track (one straight and one curve). It equals 1/8 mile.

400 meters is one lap around the track. It is equals 1/4 mile.

800 meters is two laps around the track. It equals 1/2 miles.

1600 meters is four laps around the track. It equals 1 mile.

Warm up by jogging for 1600 meters (1 mile / 4 laps around the track).

Once warmed up run 800 meters (1/2 mile / 2 laps around the track) 45-60 seconds faster than 5K pace. If your last 5K was at 10.00 minute mile pace (finished in 31 minutes), you would run this interval at a 9 to 9:15 minute mile (approx 4.5 minutes for 2 laps).

“It’s easy. Take your current 5K pace per mile then subtract 45-60 seconds to determine your first interval pace.”

— calculating your interval pace

Jog or walk 200 meters (1/8 mile / 1/2 lap around the track) to recover.

Run 1600 meters (1 mile / 4 laps around the track) 10-12 seconds faster than your current 5K pace. If your last 5K was a 10 minute mile (finished in 31 minutes), you would run this interval at 9:48-9:50 per mile

“Take your current 5K pace then subtract 10-12 seconds to determine your long interval pace.”

— calculating your long interval pace

Jog or walk 400 meters (1/4 mile / 1 lap around the track) to recover.

Run 800 meters (1/2 mile / 2 laps around the track) 45-60 seconds faster than 5K pace. If your last 5K was at 10.00 minute mile pace (finished in 31 minutes), you would run this interval at a 9 to 9:15 minute mile (approx 4.5 minutes for 2 laps).

Jog 400 meters then walk 400 meters to recover and cool down.

That's four miles! You should complete this workout feeling fatigued but also feeling like you could do one more interval if your mean 'ol coach asked you to do it. 

I recommend no more than 2 or 3 speed workouts per week for experienced runners and 1-2 for new runners. Always start with a solid running base of 20 miles per week of easy runs for at least 4-6 weeks before beginning any interval training. Always take a rest day or very easy run the day after a hard interval workout. Run your hard runs hards and your easy runs easy. Remember that adaptation to exercise (i.e. getting stronger/faster) happens during rest, not during the workout. Allow your body the time to recover, rebuild and get faster. Aim for 7-8 hours of sleep each night, fuel your body with mostly foods from nature, eat plenty of protein and carbs and you'll be set up for success.

Wondering about track etiquette? Check out my latest Running A-to-Z post about track etiquette. Don't make these mistakes when running on a track. 

Have questions? Confused? Need clarification? Leave your questions in the comments or be a part of my new series "Ask the Trainer" and have your questions answered in a future blog post.

Like this post? It helps me when you share. 

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Coach Lea

I am a NASM personal trainer and RRCA adult distance running coach that specializes in strength training for runners. I offer in-person training in the Shredshed, online training and Fit to Run bootcamps. If you are interested in a more in-depth running or strength training plan, please contact me. Have questions? I'd love to help. 

While I am a certified personal trainer, I am not your personal trainer. Since I don't know your exercise abilities, injury background or medical history, please see your doctor before beginning any new exercise program.

THE ULTIMATE RESISTANCE BAND TRAVEL WORKOUT

Welcome to another edition of workout Wednesday! Last week hubby and I took a trip to my hometown, Pittsburgh PA to visit family (Go Steelers!). We all know it can be a struggle to fit in a workout when you are traveling, so I brought along my resistance band to show you how easy it can be to get in a quick travel-friendly workout while on the road. With no fancy equipment, just a resistance band and about 15 minutes of free time I was able to squeeze in some strength training while traveling. Add in a hotel treadmill session or a foot tour of a new city and you have a full body strength and cardio workout. 

Five simple resistance band moves for a full body strength workout. Perform 12 reps of each move and repeat 3 times. 

LUNGE & BICEP CURL 

Place your feet about hip width apart with the resistance band under your forward foot. Step into a back lunge while simultaneously curling the resistance band toward your chest making sure you keep your elbows close to your sides. Repeat on other leg. 

BENT OVER ROW

With your feet slightly wider than hip width step on a resistance band with an overhand grip on the handles. Keep your back straight and pull the handles upward in a rowing motion.

GLUTE KICK BACK

On all fours with your shoulders stacked directly over your wrists hold the resistance band on the ground with both hands while looping it around your back foot. Straighten your leg to kick out your back foot. Repeat on other leg,

HIP ABDUCTION

This is a great one for runners. Traveling or not, fit this exercise into your routine. With your feet slightly wider than hip width, pull the resistance bands in an upward motion while moving your leg out laterally. Repeat on other leg.

UPRIGHT ROW

With your feet slightly wider than hip width step on the resistance band. With an overhand grip pull the handles up until your elbows are even with your shoulders. 

Do you workout when you travel? Do you love the Steelers? Tell me in the comments. 

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Have questions? Leave them in the comments or be a part of my new series "Ask the Trainer" and have your questions answered in a future blog post.

Coach Lea

I am a NASM personal trainer and RRCA adult distance running coach that specializes in strength training for runners. I offer in-person training in the Shredshed, online training and Fit to Run bootcamps. If you are interested in a more in-depth running or strength training plan, please contact me. Have questions? I'd love to help. 

While I am a certified personal trainer, I am not your personal trainer. Since I don't know your exercise abilities, injury background or medical history, please see your doctor before beginning any new exercise program.

TREADMILL BOREDOM BUSTING WORKOUTS: HOW TO MAKE YOUR TREADMILL RUNS NOT SUCK

Welcome to the latest edition of Workout Wednesday! I was going to call this article how to make your treadmill runs fun, but I thought you might question my sanity if I used the words fun and treadmill in the same sentence. Let's just go with How To Make Your Treadmill Runs Not Suck.

I love outdoor running. I never had the kind of love for treadmill running as I do for the outdoors. However, I have to admit there are many good reasons to use the treadmill: They allow you to have strict control over your speed and time, they provide shelter from the weather and a safe environment to run, day or night. They are great for speed work training. The problem is that is that treadmills can be mind-numbingly boring. No one likes to feel like a hamster, going nowhere.

The thing is, you may be going nowhere is terms of physical space, but treadmill runs can help you meet your running goals. If your goal is to run faster, the treadmill can take you places. Here are some boredom busting treadmill workouts that will make the time fly by!

THE ULTIMATE BOREDOM BUSTING TREADMILL WORKOUTS
 

Here are a few ideas for treadmill workouts that beat the boredom. Interval workouts are great for your fitness and can help you mentally get through the workout. By changing up the variables you'll find that the time goes by so quickly you may not even need to cover the console with a towel.

PYRAMID SPEED WORKOUT

1. Walk for five minutes on the treadmill to warm up.
2. Increase your pace to a slow running pace that feels easy and comfortable to you for one minute. 
3. Every minute increase the MPH by .5 on the treadmill until you reach your max running pace.
4. Run for one minute at each .5 increment until you reach your max. You'll know your max when you get there, if you can't keep it up for a minute or if your breathing is really labored, you went too far.
5 Once you reach your max, start moving back down at .5 MPH increment at a time, for one minute, until you reach your slowest running pace again.
6. Repeat 2-3 times.

This is an example of what this workout might look like. Do not arbitrary follow these speeds. This example may be too advanced for some runners and too easy for others. The key is start at your easy pace and advance the speed by .5 mph until you reach your max. It will be different for everyone.

The great thing about this workout is that you can adjust it as your get stronger so that you are always pushing yourself. Adjust your slowest and fastest time to your current fitness level. If this is too slow for you, start at a faster pace and peak at a faster pace. This is a beginner's workout example. If it is too easy or too hard, adjust accordingly.

INTERVAL LADDERS

This is my favorite treadmill workout that I do all the time in the Shredshed. You can do it for 15 minutes or repeat for a full 30 minute workout. Each speed interval gets a little faster and shorter. You should build your speed gradually until you find the right pace for your workouts. Again, I can't stress enough that you should run at your own fitness level and not necessarily the speeds on this workout, it is just an example. Adjust your pace slower or faster according to your current fitness levels. 

1. 3 minutes warm up at a very easy speed

2. 3 minutes at a speed that is challenging, but not so challenging that you can't maintain it for 3 minutes.

3. 2 minutes at a jogging recovery pace.

4. 2 minutes at a speed that is slightly faster than your 3 minute interval.

5. 1 minute at a jogging recovery pace.

6. 1 minute at a faster speed than your 2 minute interval

7. 1 minute at a jogging recovery pace

8. 1 minute at a near max effort

9. walk to recover

STRENGTH AND SPEED WORKOUT

One of my favorite ways to incorporate strength into my running workouts is to mix up treadmill intervals with strength training. Run for 3 minutes then jump off the treadmill to perform one minute of an arm or core strength move in between intervals. Your "work" effort should be an effort that challenges you for three minutes but not so difficult that you can't sustain it for that time. 

Remember that making a treadmill run not suck is mostly about conquering your mind. For me, it is more of a mental battle than a physical one. When I finish a high intensity treadmill run, I usually step off the treadmill and onto cloud nine. It seems like the more I sweat, and the harder I worked, then the more intense the runner's high...and runner's high doesn't suck!

How about you? How do you make your treadmill runs not suck?

Download a PDF of these 3 workouts here!

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Any questions? Ask them in the comments or join the conversation and submit your question to be answered in a future blog post. 

Coach Lea

I am a NASM personal trainer and RRCA adult distance running coach that specializes in strength training for runners. I offer in-person training in the Shredshed, online training and Fit to Run bootcamps. If you are interested in a more in-depth running or strength training plan, please contact me. Have questions? I'd love to help. 

While I am a certified personal trainer, I am not your personal trainer. Since I don't know your exercise abilities, injury background or medical history, please see your doctor before beginning any new exercise program.