Intervals are an important part of a cardio routine. They keep your workout from becoming stale and boring. They help the time go by quickly. And they seriously challenge your body and can help bust through a plateau. There are tons of ways to do intervals: you can change speed or incline, you can play around with minutes or seconds. It’s not rocket science, and you guys are savvy enough to know this stuff by now.
BUT. This is the best interval workout ever. It seriously blows my mind every time I do it. My lungs feel like they are on fire, but the whole thing is over so fast, before you have much time to think about it. It’s like riding an amazing roller coaster–there’s something sort of thrilling about it. At the end I feel really windblown and gaspy and watery-eyed. If that’s your thing–and I’m a Leo, so it’s definitely mine–give it a try. It works best running on a treadmill, but of course, feel free to do it wherever you like.
0-3:00. Warm up with a jog.
3-5:00. Increase to a sustainable running pace.
5:00-5:45. Run like you are running for your life. Like you’re running after a bus. Or running from an axe murderer.
5:45-6:15. Slow down to your sustainable pace. You may need to knock a couple mph off, but try to go as close to that original pace as possible. Your lungs will be saying, “Wha (gasp) wha (gasp)…What the fuck did we ever do to you!?!”
6:15-7:00. Run, run, run! On a scale of 1-10, your exertion should be at an 8.
7:00-7:30. Slow it down.
7:30-8:15. Take it back up to that level 8! Almost there!
8:15-8:45. Scale it back.
8:45-9:30. Last one for this set! Go all out!
9:30-10. Recover.
10:00-12:00. If you aren’t already at your sustainable pace, go back to that and maintain for two minutes. Get mentally ready for round two.
12:00-17:00. Repeat the 45 second hard running/30 second recovery intervals. Keep an eye on the time; it’s really easy to lose track when you’re dealing with such short increments. As soon as I start an interval, I do the math to see what my next time for changing will be.
17:00-20:00. Return to your sustainable pace.
Cooool wayyyyy down. DONE!
(If you are a glutton for punishment, or an elite athlete, you can do another 5 minute set of intervals from 20-25, but seriously, I’d wait a few weeks before adding that on)
And, of course, you need a new playlist!! It’s not many songs, because the whole workout is so short and intense. (Some of the songs are longer than a section of the workout, but I think you’ll instinctively know when to hit “next.”)
Sour Cherry (The Kills)
Candyman (Christina Aguilera)
Bossy Switch Remix (Kelis)– this will get you through the entire first round of intervals
Clumsy (Fergie)
Rock This Party (Everybody Dance Now Remix) Boyz Boyz
Pump It (Black Eyed Peas)
Give It To Me (Timbaland)
Knock You Down (Keri Hilson)
This interval workout can be a serious kick in the pants to your current routine! Doing it once a week will break up your schedule and inject a little red-faced, super sweaty “OMG I’m dying but I’m actually seriously living!” into your life.
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Also, anything by the DJ Mixer “Girl Talk” is excellent music for a workout. I don’t think he’s on ITunes yet, but if you can get your hands on a CD, seriously, do it.