Forget just jogging around in circles. Now’s your chance to use track workouts to burn not only big calories but rubber too.
Forget just jogging around in circles. Now’s your chance to use track workouts to burn not only big calories but rubber too.
If you haven’t set foot on a track since your last PE class, you’re missing out. “There are so many possibilities when you’re training on a track,” says Joe Holder, a USA Track & Field certified coach.
You can get in your HIIT without a timer – let the straightaways (approximately 100m) be the stretches for your sprintervals, instead of a set number of seconds – as well as think outside the oval for its extras: Namely, stairs in the stands to bound up and an infield for body-weight exercises. And those speed drills are just what you need to get running faster and stronger.
Runners who did interval workouts twice a week, alternating 10m all-out sprints with 25 seconds of rest, improved their top speed by 5 per cent within one month, according to findings in The Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research.
Unlike steady runs, which are aerobic exercise, sprinting on a track is anaerobic exercise – that is, the short, intense bursts tap your body’s ability to break down carbs in the absence of oxygen.
Improving your anaerobic capacity will boost your muscles’ threshold for fatigue, giving your legs more staying power during races. Plus, the hug-the-curves nature of running on a track (typically 400m) increases the activation of certain muscle groups like the abdominals. “You can literally sprint your way to better abs,” Joe says.
Switching up distance, intensity and recovery times will also keep your workouts exciting and allow you to adjust for different goals. If you want to get better at 5Ks and 10Ks, aim for shorter recovery times and you’ll increase your ability to resist fatigue. To get stronger, increase your speed, which engages more muscles. And if you’re gearing up to run farther distances, slowly start adding length to your speed intervals.
We’ve got you covered: Joe has created a targeted track workout for every pump-upyour-run mission.
Whichever you pick, he recommends starting with a 1km to 2km jog to warm up, followed by dynamic stretches, including knee hugs, leg swings and lunges, which mimic motions you’ll do during your run. Finish with running drills like high knees. Cool down with some ab moves such as planks or boat pose to promote core endurance, and finish with another light 1km to 2km jog if you’ve got it in you.
Ready to run? Choose a goal on the next page and work one or two sessions a week into your routine on nonconsecutive days.
On your mark!
GET FASTER
If you want to achieve a personal best at your next race, speed workouts are essential. The challenge is to avoid tensing up your muscles during each sprint. “When you’re relaxed, it ensures that the prime muscles you need for sprinting are firing correctly,” Joe explains. Go hard – you can do anything for 10 to 20 seconds, the typical work period. Plus, you’ll have plenty of time to rest between intervals.
1 Do four 100m sprints (a quarter of 1 lap around a track) at 90 per cent of maximum effort, walking 2 minutes between sprints. Recover for 5 minutes.
2 Do four 60m sprints (just more than half of the straightaway) at 95 per cent of max effort, walking 2 minutes between sets. Recover for 5 minutes between sets. Perform 2 to 3 sets.
3 Do four 30m sprints (about a third of the straightaway) at 100 per cent of max effort, walking 2 minutes between reps. Recover for 5 minutes between sets. Do 2 to 3 sets.
BUILD STAYING POWER AT TOP SPEED
1 Do three 800m intervals (2 laps) at 80 per cent of max effort, walking for 90 seconds between sprints. “Speed endurance workouts – the ones that have you push at your race pace for long intervals – help you to muster that extra kick when you think you have no more to give,” Joe says. To build up that stamina, you’ll crank your speed for longer distances and have less time to rest than during regular speed workouts, but you’ll work at 80 per cent of your maximum intensity rather than at 90 per cent. You still won’t be able to hold a conversation, but you also won’t be panting.
2 Do three 600m intervals (1½ laps) at 80 per cent of max effort, walking for 90 seconds between sets.
3 Do three 400m intervals (one lap) at 80 per cent of max effort, walking for 90 seconds between sets.
4 Do 16 200m intervals (½ lap) at 80 per cent of max effort, walking for 30 to 60 seconds between sets.
INCREASE STRENGTH
Head to the stands and find a stretch of stairs that will take you no more than 15 seconds to ascend. This type of stair workout recruits more muscle fibres than running on level ground, Joe says, and working on an incline will force you to lift your knees higher and push through your feet with more force in order to propel yourself forward. You’ll build strength in your hips, glutes, quads, hamstrings and calves, plus training like this will make tackling hills feel easier.
1 Sprint up the stairs 6 to 10 times, walking down and resting 2 minutes between sprints.
2 Run up the stairs 6 to 10 times, skipping every other step. Walk down between sets and rest for 2 minutes.
The stands are made for more than spectating. Run the stairs to boost your power and burn.
RULES OF THE TRACK
A little rusty? Here’s your quick etiquette refresher.
PICK A LANE Head to the outside two lanes if you’re warming up or cooling down with a slow jog or walk. The faster your pace, the closer you can be to the inside lane.
PASS ON THE RIGHT If you’re coming up on another runner from behind, give them a heads up that you’ll be passing her if she’s in the way by shouting “on the right” – or “track” in track lingo.
DON’T STOP SHORT When finishing an interval, be aware of other runners so you don’t stop directly in front of them. Instead, slow your pace and move to the outside of the track.
