Workout Journal August 21, Cardio Day

Workout Journal August 21

Today was a cardio day. I didn’t have the motivation to head out for a trail run, plus truth be told my feet have been killing me with blisters from these Earth Runners I’ve been wearing to run. They’re comfortable and I think they’ve been making me much stronger from the foot up, which is why I continue to wear them running. However, I find that around the 5 mile mark, the rubbing between my toes becomes pretty painful. I’m just not completely used to them yet. When I first put them on 2 years ago, I couldn’t even walk in them without pain. So to run 5 miles of trail without pain is a pretty big improvement. I know it doesn’t sound like it, but I fully endorse these sandals just to be clear.

All that’s to say, I didn’t trail run today like I have been. Instead I did a cardio mix in my garage gym. 

• 20 minutes on the assault bike - 5.5 miles

• 10 minutes on the rower - 2,571 meters

• 3 x 3 minute rounds of my newly acquired heavy bag with 1 minute rest intervals. 

About 40 minutes of total varied work. 

I used to always pick one modality of cardio (ie treadmill) and stick with it for my full session. A couple of years back I heard a fitness person talk about breaking up your 30 minutes into 10 minute sessions on 3 different pieces of equipment. 

It sounds obvious to me now (and maybe it’s obvious to you) but I had never really thought about it like that before. Instead I would dread my 30-40 minute session. Now, I look forward to it. 

10-20 minutes on any one piece of equipment or any one modality is just about the sweet spot where it becomes boring. So, on days when I can’t hit the trail, that’s what I’ve been doing. 30 - 40 minutes of varied work. 

Give it a thought if you’re bored with your routine. 

Treadmill Free Flow

Dedicate 45 minutes (30 if it’s all you have) to the treadmill. Get on with a minimum 3 percent incline and 2 mph speed (I like 5 percent and 2.5 mph)

Start walking. Keep walking until you feel like you need more. Increase the incline. Maybe increase the speed. Maybe now you’re at 5 percent and 3 mph. Wait a few minutes, until you’re ready to do more.

Start doing some easy speed intervals keeping the incline unchanged. Double your walking speed for 30 - 60 seconds at a time. Come back to a walk for a few minutes. Repeat as many times as you do or don’t want to in the 45 minutes.

The point is to challenge yourself while having fun. Go off of feeling instead of programming.

Cheers. Enjoy!