Factory Reset Part 3 – Sprint and Strengthen

I had finally established a solid cardio foundation in my easy 4-mile jogs and gotten myself into the habit of standing and moving as much as possible throughout the day, but that still wasn’t enough. (Some days, I really wish it were!) I knew strengthening needed to be properly paired with cardio to achieve the ideal workout regime and keep my brain (and rest of my body) functioning optimally.

Mark Sisson in “The New Primal Blueprint” says to pair regular cardio sessions with a sprint workout once every seven to 10 days; 10- to 20-minute intense strengthening workouts twice a week; and complementary flexibility/mobility exercises, such as yoga or Tai chi, once or twice a week. Now I’m no math genius, but I’m not entirely sure there are enough days in the week to do every thing he says. He does suggest, when you’re feeling good and motivated, pairing a 10-minute strengthening with sprints on the same day. Now, If I were retired or if exercise were my full-time job, no problem! But come on. Who, other than professional athletes, exercises that much? I know I don’t. Instead of getting discouraged and beating myself up, however, I’ve established a routine that is close to Sisson’s recommended schedule and, I think, works really well for me.

Below is my typical weekly workout schedule. It frequently gets adjusted and sometimes days get skipped, depending on how I feel and what I have going on. For example, Christiane Northrup, OB-GYN, in her book “Women’s Bodies, Women’s Wisdom” recommends against doing anything too intense or high-impact during the first few days of a woman’s menstrual cycle. So when that time of the month begins on a day when I would otherwise do my cardio or sprints, I move things around and do yoga instead. Sisson also recommends following your motivation and energy levels to determine what exercises to do on any given day. He says if you’re just not motivated and feeling energized enough to do sprints, then skip it that week. Nonetheless, my schedule during a typical week is as follows:

Cardio

I run my 4-mile slow jog on Sunday and Friday mornings. I really wish I could fit in another day, but that’s how it falls into place. Approximately once a month, my Sunday morning jog is replaced by a long-distance hike (average 10 miles) with my sister, Jo. On these weeks, I bump my slow jog to Monday and skip the sprint session. On Saturdays I clean my house, so I also count that as a cardio day, as well.

Sprints

I sprint on Monday mornings. Sisson says a sprint workout should last no longer than 20 minutes: A 5-minute slow-jog (or whatever movement you wish) warm up, 10 minutes of sprint intervals and a 5-minute slow-jog/movement cool down. Sprints can be running, cycling or swimming or any other movement that allows you put forth maximum effort and achieve an anaerobic heart hate. (Higher than 180 beats per minute minus your age – see my post on running.) Occasionally pushing yourself to an anaerobic heart rate and triggering the fight or flight hormone response (which is what happens with all intense anaerobic exercise) is healthy, Sisson says. However, doing this chronically is when it becomes dangerous by over-stressing the body.

The sprints should include four to six short bursts of going as fast as you can, each one lasting 15-20 seconds. Sisson says to break up each sprint with a slow walk, walking as long as necessary to catch your breath and fully recover. He also suggests conducting the sprints on an incline, such as stairs or a steep hill and occasionally running on tip-toe to work different sets of muscles. Knowing the sprints shouldn’t last more than 15-20 seconds each and the workout is no more than 20 minutes makes it seem almost easy. And I’ve found it can actually be a lot of fun. Think of being a kid again and running flat out to beat your friends. (Last one there is a rotten egg!) Or maybe even invite a friend or two and turn it into friendly competitive races.

I have tried doing a jog or yoga on the day after sprinting, but found that my muscles were still too tired and I wore out far more quickly. So I have a rest day on Tuesdays to allow myself to fully recover from my sprints

Yoga

My first experience with yoga was in my early 20s. I had borrowed my sister’s DVD of yoga for beginners. The instructor began by naming a list of items I would need: a pillow or two, blocks or a stack of books, a strap or belt, etc. This already thoroughly annoyed me. I was pumped and ready to try yoga for the first time but instead had to pause it and run around the house looking for the items. Having retrieved the items, I returned and hit play. Long story short, I just could not do the movements as instructed. She said people who weren’t flexible enough to touch the floor in one of the positions could instead place their hand on the stack of books. I couldn’t ever reach the books. I felt completely out of shape and was reminded of just how unflexible I am. I hated it from beginning to end. I don’t even think I finished it. I’m pretty sure I shut it off in complete frustration. I couldn’t even do yoga for beginners. This DVD had left a very bad taste in my mouth, turning me off of yoga for a very long time. I’m so glad I eventually decided to give it one more try.

My mother-in-law told me about Sportskool a few years ago – the On Demand exercise channel with Spectrum cable. The channel offers a variety of exercise programs, from yoga to kick boxing, so I decided to give yoga another try: Nancy Goldstein’s Strength and Balance part 1. First and foremost, no annoying props were required. The only things she recommends are bare feet and either a yoga mat or any non-slippery surface. It didn’t take long for me to fall in love with it. She blends some mild aerobic, like jumping, with traditional yoga strengthening and balance poses and deep breathing. Best of all, I could actually do the program without feeling totally out of shape. My favorite aspect is that she offers increasing levels of difficulty. She starts out in the easiest pose and then says, “If this is easy, take it a step further,” and she pushes the pose a little deeper. She continues, saying, “If you’re still comfortable and breathing easily, maybe take it a bit deeper,” and offers a third, more difficult option. This way, beginners can stay on the easiest poses or, when they’re ready, take it to the next level. At the end of it, I not only feel like I’ve had a solid workout, but also I feel completely relaxed, de-stressed and in a much better mood.

Unfortunately, On Demand regularly switches out its programing. One day my Strength and Balance workout disappeared, and I couldn’t find another I liked quite as much. So I turned to YouTube and have been enjoying Strength and Balance ever since. Anyone interested in trying it out, here’s the link:

Strengthening

Sisson says strengthening (“lift heavy things”) has many forms. If they prefer, people can use actual weights, machines or resistance equipment, either at home or at the gym, or they can simply use their own body weight and gravity to achieve the same effect. I like to stick with what Sisson calls the four “Primal Essential Movements” of pushups, pullups, squats and planks. They’re simple, effective and, best of all, free. Sisson recommends only two short, intense sessions each, one 30-minute and the other only about 10.

“Workouts should be high-intensity and brief in duration to elicit the most desirable hormonal response,” he writes. “Just as with chronic cardio, when you conduct strength training sessions that last too long and are done too frequently with insufficient rest, you drift into a chronic exercise pattern that is destructive to health.”

Well, I don’t have to worry about overdoing my strengthening workouts. I do these on Thursdays, when I have the spare time, and they only last about 20 minutes. I’d like to step it up just a bit but don’t fret over not being able to. I do reps of 10 to 20 squats, pushups and lunges and 1-minute planks and repeat these until the 20 minutes are up. I don’t have the strength to do a full, proper pull-up, so I do five cheat pull-ups, using one leg to assist, as Sisson recommends. Maybe one day I’ll actually be able to do one proper pull-up!

The way to that perfect washboard stomach is not through endless crunches, situps and other ab workouts, apparently. Sisson says limiting carb intake and insulin production is the most effective way to improve muscle definition and toning in the core.

“With your diet optimized, the best way to exercise your abs is to involve them in all manner of movement, both in workouts and in daily life,” he writes. “When you do pushups, tighten your abs (pressing the navel toward the spine); the same is recommended during pull-ups, squats, lunges, curls and other complete body exercises.”

He says to also do this in everyday life, such as while raking leaves, lugging groceries and even just sitting at your desk or in your car. For further core strengthening, he says to tighten the buttocks along with the abs. And ladies, if I may add my own advice, throw in your Kegels, too, as keeping those pelvic floor muscles strong and healthy are critically important!

“[T]ighten your belly as if you are going to be punched in the gut while blowing out candles on your birthday cake,” Sisson writes. “Hold it for 10, 20 or more seconds a few times every day. Now do it slightly tilted to one side. Repeat for the other side.”

That in a nutshell is my usual workout schedule. Next time, I will round out my discussion on exercise with stretching and the incredible and very important Egoscue method. I don’t think I can oversell the wonders of this method – something I believe is critical for a long, active and pain-free life.

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