Even the Badass CEO needs to be pushed now and then. It's within those heavier sets of reps or extra sprints that strength builds and changes come. It's through the extra mile that the true Badass emerges.
So Saturday afternoon, I abandoned the comfort zone of my indoor cycling bike and the treadmill for the high school track near where I live.
This workout plan comes from Rodney Marshall, a former LSU track star who now works as a strength and conditioning specialist for the United States Tennis Association. He formerly ran Titus Sports Academy here in Tallahassee, and regularly kicked my Badass during early-morning sessions that mixed high-intensity cardio with high-intensity circuits of weights and strength moves. Now he whips top U.S. tennis players into prime fighting form, so you know that he knows more than a thing or two about fitness.
I love this track workout because it mixes endurance runs at a fairly quick tempo with sprint training, and it's bookended by a solid warmup and cool-down to help prevent any muscle pulls or other injuries. Moreover, it calls for about two more reps of the long and sprint runs than your legs probably want. Which is a GOOD thing! Those last sprints, the ones we'd would rather skip, are the ones that make us stronger and faster.
This workout looks easy enough on paper, but it frankly kicked my Badass. And I LOVED it! In fact, I plan to be back to the track this week to go through it again. I hope you'll give it a try, Badasses! Because the Badass Army only gets stronger when we're all pushing harder.
The Warmup
1. Jog 2 laps, or 800 m, around a standard high school or college track: Go at a steady jog pace. This is a warmup, so the goal is just to get the blood flowing and loosen up those muscles.
2. 100 m of karaoke, or grapevine runs, followed by a jog back to the start: This is a sideways drill in which your torso and shoulders stay facing forward as you run sideways, your feet shuffling in a grapevine. Check out a good video how-to here.
3. 100 m of skip-jog, with high knees: Skip forward, raising your knees high to warm up and stretch the hip flexors. Jog back to the start.
4. 100 m of backward running, followed by a jog back to the start.
Repeat the grapevine, skip-jog and backward-jog drills two more times for a total of three. And be sure to alternate directions on the grapevine runs to ensure you're warming up the hips and hip flexors on both sides.
The Workout
1. 4 sets of 400 m, or once around the track, at a 5k pace. The goal: Finish each 400 m within 90 seconds. Between each set, take a 2-minute rest.
2. 6 sets of 100 m, at an all-out sprint pace. Take a 2-minute rest between each set.
The Cooldown
1. Walk the track for two laps, or 800 m.
2. Do 5 to 10 minutes of stretches, your choice.
Coming tomorrow: Gym Etiquette, a refresher course - and a forum for the Badass CEO to vent!
