STRETCHING: Start with some basic stretching to loosen up your muscles. Follow the stretches in the image below. Perform each stretch for 20 seconds.
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RUN: Start off small and slowly increase your distance as you start to get into shape. Start with a light 1 kilometer run at a steady pace the first week. Then increase it to 2 kilometers the second week. As you keep training and improving go for longer runs, until you are able to run 5 kilometers.
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SPRINTS: Interval 1: Sprint for 1 minute, recovery jog for 90 seconds
Interval 2: Sprint for 2 minutes, recovery jog for 90 seconds
Interval 3: Sprint for 3 minutes, recovery jog for 90 seconds
Interval 5: Sprint for 2 minutes, recovery jog for 90 seconds
Interval 6: Sprint for 1 minute, recovery jog for 90 seconds
If these are too tough start with smaller intervals. Try 30 seconds, 1 minute, and 1 minute 30 seconds. When you start to get into shape slowly increase the intervals and the number of sets you do.
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HILL TRAINING: Find a hill and sprint up and run down. Try to complete 10 laps, but once again start small, maybe with 5, if that’s too much and slowly build upon it. Hill training is important because no runner wants to crash before the finish line, so you need a way to work through fatigue. This will teach your legs to handle tiring challenges.📷
MUSCLE EXERCISES: Being able to run for a long distance requires muscle power, so it’s important to fit these exercises into your workout:
Burpees: 20 times
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Mountain climbers: 30 times
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Split Jumps: 20 times
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Push ups: 15 times
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Plank: Hold for 1 minute
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Side plank: Hold for 45 seconds. (Make sure you do both sides)
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Sit ups: 30 times📷
KEEP IN MIND: You don’t have to do the exact amount that is written here. Like all the other exercises, if the set amount it too much, start smaller and slowly build upon it. It’s ok to not be able to finish all of this when you begin getting back into shape. Just set your own goals and work towards being able to do the set amount and possibly doing more than the set amount.
As long as you put in the effort and get into shape, that’s all that matters. Have a goal in mind and don’t let anything stop you from reaching it.
Start getting into shape today to come out and join the Barev Centre walk/run team at the Toronto Scotiabank 5k marathon and show everyone what you’ve been working for!