Hill Treadmill Run and Heavy-Meets-Light Superset -NICK RANA
The trainer: NICK RANA certified personal trainer and run coach
This hill workout will challenge your legs through elevation to target your calves, quads, glutes and hamstrings. “Think of hill training as the running form of resistance training, fighting to get up the hill is building muscle in your legs and helping you increase your stamina overall, allowing you to burn more body fat and gain strength,” says Bailey.
Directions: Warm up with a 3-minute jog on a flat tread. Then following along on this time-based workout.
Minutes 3:00-7:00: Jog at a 4% incline
Minutes 7:00-10:00: Jog at 6% incline
Minutes 10:00-12:00: Jog at 8% incline
Minutes 12:00-13:00: Jog at 0% incline/flat tread
Minutes 13:00-13:30: Jog at 10% incline
Minutes 13:30-14:00: Run or sprint at 10% incline
Minutes 14:00-14:30: Jog at 8% incline
Minutes 14:30-15:00: Run or sprint at 8% incline
Minutes 15:00-15:30: Jog at 6% incline
Minutes 15:30-16:00: Run or sprint at 6% incline
Minutes 16:00-16:30: Jog at 4% incline
Minutes 16:30-17:00: Run or sprint at 4% incline
Minutes 17:00-17:30: Jog at 2% incline
Minutes 17:30-18:00: Run or sprint at 2% incline
Cooldown: Jog on flat tread for 2 minutes, allowing your legs to slow and heart rate to drop.
Ladder Sprints on Track
This workout focuses on building speed, gaining endurance, and overall challenging your body to work more efficiently. “By incorporating sprints, both short and long, you’re challenging your legs (quads and glutes, specifically) to fire quickly, which engages your fast-twitch muscles,” says Bailey. “Sprints are one of the most effective leg exercises because it both builds muscle and burns fat.”
Directions: Warm up with an 800-meter (2 laps) jog at an easy pace that allows you to open up your stride during the straightaways, then pull back around the bends. Then, complete the ladder-based intervals, sprinting the shorter distances and slowing to a run for the longer distances.
– Sprint for 100 meters
Rest for 60 seconds
– Sprint for 200 meters
Rest for 60 seconds
– Sprint or run for 400 meters
Rest for 60 seconds
– Run for 800 meters
Rest for 2 minutes
– Run for 800 meters
Rest for 60 seconds
– Sprint or run for 400 meters
Rest for 60 seconds
– Sprint for 200 meters
Rest for 60 seconds
– Sprint for 100 meters
Agility Ladder Drills
No matter if you’re running a 5K or a 50K ultra, minimizing your foot strike-time will help maximize efficiency and stamina. You can imagine how incremental improvements to time spent on the ground can be in the long run, during, well, a long run. Agility ladder drills can help you pop off quickly and smoothly with each step, says Rosario.
Directions: Perform each drill for the number of reps allotted. Incorporate agility drills into your workout 2-3 times a week.
1. Fast Feet
How to do it: Facing the short end of the ladder, run through the length of the ladder, putting two feet in each box as quickly as possible. The length of the ladder is one rep. Perform 3 reps.
2. Three in One
How to do it: Facing the short end of the ladder, run through the length of the ladder putting three steps in each box (i.e. right, left, right) as quickly as possible. Length of the ladder is one rep. Complete 3 reps.
3. Icky Shuffle
How to do it: Facing the short end of the ladder, run through the length of the ladder, putting two feet in and then one foot out to the side. Length of the ladder is one rep. Complete 3 reps.
4. Icky Backward Shuffle
How to do it: With your back facing the short end of the ladder, run through the length of the ladder backward, putting two feet in, then one foot out to the side. Length of the ladder is one rep. Complete 3 reps.
5. Lateral High Knees
How to do it: Facing the long end of the ladder, standing at the bottom left, perform lateral high knees. Go down the length of the ladder, putting two feet in each box and quickly raising your knees up to hip height. Length of the ladder is one rep. Complete 4 reps, 2 on each side.
6. Lateral Quick Feet
How to do it: Facing the long end of the ladder, standing at the bottom left, run down the ladder laterally, putting two feet in each box and two feet out of each box, directly below. Length of the ladder is one rep. Complete 4 reps, 2 on each side.
Heavy-Meets-Light Superset
This superset is used to produce strength and hypertrophy, as it pairs two exercises together. The first utilizes heavier weights, while the second complements the muscle movements with a lighter load—or bodyweight only—but for higher reps, explains Foxie. Bonus: Both slow- and fast-twitch muscle fibers are trained.
How to do it: Complete each exercise for the allotted number of reps before moving on to the second exercise with no rest between. Complete 3 sets.
1. Eccentric Tempo Squats (Heavy)
How to do it: Load a barbell to a “heavy” weight, and get into the start position of a back squat: weight resting on upper back, shoulders down and chest lifted. Hinge at the hips, and very slowly lower down into a squat, taking 4 beats to get there. Don’t pause at the bottom of the squat. Immediately press through your heels, producing force into the barbell to come back to standing, taking only 1 beat to get there. Perform 5 reps.
2. Tempo Reverse Lunge (Light)
How to do it: Standing, holding a set of light dumbbells, step right leg back behind you and slowly bend both legs to come into a reverse lunge, taking 2 beats to get there. Do not let back knee touch the floor. Don’t pause at the bottom of the lunge. Immediately press through your front heel to return to standing, taking one beat to get there. Do 18 reps on each leg, one side at a time.
Contrast Training
“Contrast training pairs a heavier strength exercise with an unresisted or lighter power exercise,” explains Fox. This type of training can improve explosiveness, speed, and power.
How to do it: Perform each exercise for the allotted reps with little to no rest in between. Complete 5 sets.
1. Hex Bar Deadlift
How to do it: Load a hex bar (or trap bar) with a heavy deadlift weight that’s challenging, but you can complete all reps with good form. Hold the bar at sides by handles, then hinge at your hips, bend your knees, and keep your back straight as you lower the weight until the plates tap the ground. Press through heels to engage hamstrings and glutes and come to standing. Perform 4 reps.
2. Broad Jumps
How to do it: Standing with feet about hips-width apart, hinge at your hips and bend your knees, sitting your butt back a bit as you swing your arms behind you. Then swing your arms forward for momentum and explosively jump as far as you can, landing with soft knees. That’s one rep. Walk back and repeat. Perform 4 reps
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