Shredmill – Interval Training
The moment during the day when I look at my training calendar and see the word “Intervals” marked, I cringe. Interval training is the bane of my existence. Give me weight training, long runs and hills any day. But speed work? I dred every second leading to it.
The good news? The results are almost instant. Interval training is the best way to shred fat from your body (especially that stubborn belly fat!) and get you to your goal pace. I don’t recall where I saw this nickname, but a few sites dubbed interval training “Shredmill”. So fitting. I researched and tried a few different types of interval training and I personally feel the two listed below are the best of the bunch.
Shredmill Workout 1 (thanks to my girls from ToneItUp!)
10 Second ‘Sprint’- this can just be as fast as you can
30 Second Run (slightly faster than your Jog)
Take a breather with water if you need to
Repeat this 2-3 more times!
Shredmill Workout 2 (slightly more difficult than the one above)
First, take a post it or piece of paper and define your personal paces for the following:
Current Long Distance Pace
Interval Pace (your goal pace minus 30 seconds)
Balls to the Wall Pace (5k pace minus 30 seconds)
Take this note with you to the SHREDmill and post it where you can see it while you’re running.
Take 3-5 minutes walking briskly to warm your muscles up.
When you’re ready, you’re going to climb the pace ladder you wrote on your note. Starting from your Current Long Distance Pace, run at that pace for 1 minute.
Increase to speed to Goal Pace for 1 minute
Continue to increase the speed up the pace ladder each minute.
Once you’ve been going balls to the wall for a minute, go back down the ladder, decreasing your pace minute by minute.
You feel it? Well, you aren’t done…repeat the ladder 4-5 more times! Dig deep!
Remember, interval training is meant to kick your ass, but stick with it. The great thing about the second interval workout is you’re always changing it up every minute. Your body can do it, that’s not the barrier. It’s your mind. So you just have to tell yourself to take it a minute at a time. Talk your self up and down that ladder, shred that fat to make you a lean mean fast machine!
I recommend incorporating interval training into your schedule 1-2/week, maybe even 3 times if you really want to work on speed. Interval training will really help with muscle memory so the more times you do it, the more your muscles will remember to continue at your desired quicker goal pace. Good luck and let me know which of the two intervals you like better. Happy shredding!