The Need for Speed...

Want to ramp up your cardiovascular conditioning, and burn more calories?  (And create new, exciting workouts?) Add some speed to your workout.  Speed training improves...your speed, your metabolism, and not only increases fat burning…you will increase your mind-body awareness AND mentally, you will feel like a baddie because you have just kicked your own booty and lived to tell the tale.

I love jumping rope for speed!

Here are a few ways to add speed:

Do speed intervals boxing on the heavy bag ie: one minute speed work: one minute recovery.

You can do the same 1:1 work:rest ratio running, doing plyometrics, using a jumprope, or on the stairs or the bike.  During the one minute of speed you are going 100% full throttle.  Do your speed work for about 20 minutes and then spend 10 minutes cooling down and stretching out.  Because this is taxing on both your nervous system and your metabolic system,  you will want to do this workout only about 1-2x per week, depending on your level of intensity.

 Here is another workout you can do which incorporates speed;  Lets call this the

Early Polar Vortex Workout #5

(Make sure to do a dynamic warm-up and mobility (see earlier posts!) before speed conditioning, you need to prepare your body to accelerate and decelerate quickly and correctly).

Sprint on treadmill one minute (or outside, or stairs, or box) then do 10 pushups as fast as possible

Sprint on TM/exercise of your choice one minute, then do 10 plyo pushups (you explode off the floor as you do your pushup )

Sprint on TM one minute, then do 10 frog jumps

Sprint on TM one minute, then do 5 single leg squat jumps each leg

Sprint on TM one minute, then do 10 burpees

Sprint on TM one minute, then do 5 single leg burpees each leg

Sprint on TM one minute, then do 15 split lunge jumps

Sprint on TM one minute, then do 20 mountain climbers

Sprint on TM one minute, then do one minute slow recovery run, walk, stairs, etc.

Stretch!

BRILLIANT.  EASY.  BESPOKE. 

IT BAND SMR

Now that you did that HIIT workout, your connective tissue could use some attention, specifically the IT BAND…short for Illiotibial Tract or band.

You know the IT band well...it’s a ligament extending from the hip to the knee, and it helps the connecting muscles of the leg extend, abduct, and rotate the hip. In addition, the ITB contributes to knee stabilization because of where it attaches at the tibia…basically your IT band is used a LOT!  Not just in workouts but in every day activities.  So give your IT band some love (and increased blood flow) and do some myofascial release with the foam roller.  (Quicker pace foam rolling, about 30 seconds for a warm up to wake up your nervous system, or slow deliberate movements for about 2-3 minutes as a cool down.)

Ouch!

 Lie on your side, with foam roller under the hip, right at the bony part of the side of the pelvis. The other leg can be crossed in front of you over the bottom leg.

Place as much of your weight as is tolerable onto your bottom leg; Take some big deep breaths and roll your leg over the foam from your hip to right above your knee, especially the bony area right above the knee.  Pausing for 10-30 seconds at points of tension or knots.  Repeat with the opposite leg.

BRILLIANT.  EASY.  BESPOKE.