Confession: I cannot swim. Well, I mean, I can swim to save my life. But put me in a lap pool and tell me to make like a fish, and my bubble of a Badass sinks to the bottom like a J. Lo anchor. Ugh.
I spent my childhood on the beaches of South Florida and Brazil (there I am, age 3, imitating Coppertone Baby), yet I am a long way from performing in the pool like my Real Badass hero.
But I'm not giving up, no way. Badasses don't give up. Someday, I WILL add "triathlete" to my fitness resume. Until then, why not train like a biathlete with cycling and running (and ample amounts of stretching)? If you're a Phelps-ian fish in water, I literally bow to you. If you're not, gimme five as I say to you: "Oh, yeah. I feel your pain."
All of you, fish or not, can benefit from a biathlon-style double header of cycling and running. Combining land and wheel ensures that you target all of your muscles and joints from the waist down: quads, hamstrings, glutes, hip flexors, calves. And if your form is right, you're getting core work, too.
A mixed cardio routine also helps you from getting bored in your Badass Fitness journey, and it keeps your muscles from settling into one constant tedious. The best way to build strength and see gains is to shock and surprise your body now and then. The unexpected soreness you feel after taking a step class following months of a daily running regimen? That's your calves and other muscles saying, "Hello! what the heck is this?" It's a good thing! Embrace it.
And embrace this Badass Double-Header, 40-minutes of kick-butt cardio bookended by 5 minutes of warm-up and 5 minutes of cool-down. Do it outside or inside on the Spinning bike and treadmill. If you're doing it outside, you might not be able to simulate the hills and inclines so make up for it by picking up your speed.
If you're at Mile 1 of your Badass Fitness journey, just do what you can -- whether it's 10 minutes each of the run and the bike or 5 minutes of each. This is meant to be challenging, so work up to it if need be. And if you're already feeling strong enough to smoke this, then what are you waiting for!? Go smoke it with your Badass self!
Badass Double Header
5 minutes: Warm up on a flat road, with a steady and moderately fast pace to get the blood flowing.
3 minutes: Add tension (or find an inclined road) until you're on what feels like an inclining road. Push through the moderate tension, trying keeping the same steady pace you had on the warmup.
2 minutes: Add more tension until you feel like you're on a steep hill. Your pace will slow, but keep up your effort and maintain a strong pace. By the end of the two minutes, your heart rate should be up to about 75 percent of your max.
5 minutes: Take tension off, returning to a moderate incline. Pick up the pace and go for a minute. In minute 2, add back the tension and keep climbing (your pace will slow, but keep up your effort). In minute 3, go back to a moderate incline for a minute. In minute 4, add the tension back plus a little more. In minute 5, go back to the faster pace on a moderate incline.
5 minutes: For this last segment, start at the moderate incline and add a small amount of tension every 30 seconds so that you gradually build to a very steep hill. Your challenge is to keep the pace as close to what you started with as possible, even through the tension of the hill.
Hop off the bike! And onto the treadmill, track or road for your run....
5 minutes: Run at a moderate but challenging pace on a flat road, 6 mph roughly
2 minutes: Boost the incline (or find a hill) to 3.0, and pick up the pace to 6.5 mph
3 minutes: Go back to a flat road, and do sprints for 30 seconds on, 30 seconds off, for the full 3 minutes.
5 minutes: Boost the incline to 4.0 and stay here, trying to keep your pace between 6 and 6.5 mph
3 minutes: Back to a flat road, and do sprints for 30 seconds on, 30 seconds off.
2 minutes: Keep sprinting, but add an incline for this final all-out push.
5-minutes: Cool down. Then stretch.
Hot damn! You are officially a bi-athlete. A Badass Bi-Athlete.
Coming tomorrow: A Badass Foodie makeover for a "comfort food" favorite...