Up your running game and slash time off your pace with these conditioning drills…
Feeling like you’re not making progress is a sure-fire way to derail your exercise regimen. If running is starting to feel a bit like you’re a hamster in a wheel, try these drills taken from the Puma Fast Track running programme, now offered at certain Planet Fitness gyms that have an indoor running track.
Based on track-and-field training principles, the programme is designed to improve your distance running and sprinting, says Niamh McGuirk Lubbe, National Product Manager at Planet Fitness.
Do these drills once or twice a week in addition to your normal running training. Be sure to give it horns on the sprints and focus on executing quick turns at the markers. For each drill, move quickly from one marker to the next, without resting, until you’ve completed the full circuit.
Shuttle Drill
Set out four markers, 10 metres apart (or use landmarks in the street – like fence poles or street lights).
Starting with a light jog to get warm, run to marker four and back to marker one. Repeat five times to ensure your body is ready for fast-pace running.
The drill:
– Sprint from marker one to marker two and back.
– Sprint from marker one to marker three and back.
– Sprint from marker one to marker four and back.
Once you’ve completed all three sprints, rest for 30 seconds, then repeat for a total of five rounds.
Running Bootcamp Drill
Set out 4 markers, 10 metres apart (or use landmarks in the street – like fence poles or street lights).
Starting with a light jog to get warm, run to marker four and back to marker one. Repeat five times to ensure you’re body is ready for fast-pace running.
The drill:
– Do 10 push-ups at marker one, then run to marker two.
– Do 10 body-weight squats at marker two, then run to marker three.
– Do 20 mountain climbers at marker three, then run to marker four.
– Do 20 backward lunges, then sprint back to marker one.
Once you’ve completed all moves at all markers, rest for 30 seconds, then repeat the sequence for a total of three rounds.
Looking for more training tips? Here’s how to use breathing to boost your run, the foods you should eat before you lace up. Plus, here are three things that can affect your pace on the road.
