Dear Diane,

I’ve signed up for a 5k race in May and after 3 months of “training,” I still can’t go much further than a mile without stopping to walk. What am I doing wrong?

Colleen

This question is from last spring, but with racing season well under way, it seemed like a good time to post my answer on the blog, as I’m sure many of you have run into this dilemma, or know someone who has.

A typical fitness routine includes the same type of cardiovascular activity, performed for the same length of time, with little variation – and while there isn’t anything inherently wrong with this approach (it is exercise, after all), you probably won’t improve if you continue to do the same thing. To boost endurance (i.e, go longer, faster), something has to change. There are 3 easy ways to improve endurance:

1. Add time to at least one cardio session per week for several weeks, then taper for one week to allow the body to adapt to the increased load. Then start back up where you left off, again adding time to at least one session per week.

2. Make one session per week more intense (harder). Speed work (400×6 sprints, for example), hill-work, or interval training (combine speed and hills, alternating between the two).

3. Strength train. Even the best endurance plan will fall short of success if there are muscle weaknesses. To improve endurance, muscles must be strong, so include at least 2 days of strength training per week.

Recent research indicates that one solution to aging (slowing it down, that is), lies in the ability of our muscles to maximally use oxygen, both at rest and during exercise. In fact, regular aerobic exercise may decrease biological age by as many as ten years. Maybe more. (British Journal of Medicine, Dr. R. J. Shepard, 2008) The harder you exercise (read: Intense!) the greater the reduction in biological age.

I’m a huge fan of interval training, and when I read these studies promising such benefits, I just get giddy. Interval training is one of the most effective ways to achieve the level of intensity needed to increase the oxygen demands of your muscles. Maximal oxygen consumption peaks at around age 35, and as with all things, declines with age – especially so after age 60.

I’m tackling cardio interval training in this blog, but similar tactics can also be applied to strength training. It’s almost a sure bet you’ll see that post next!

Interval Training = intense exercise (all out effort) for short bursts. For the purposes of this post, and assuming you are in good health, 1-3 minutes should do the trick. This may seem overly simplified, but a good example would be your regular running workout. We call this “steady state” training – your pace is constant, your breathing is comfortably challenging, you could go all day at the same pace. Interval training shocks the system, so to speak, by elevating the heart rate to about 85% of its max. This is where the real changes that slow aging take place.

Incorporating interval training into your workout

There are many ways to skin this cat. To keep things simple, I’ve listed the most common ways interval training can be incorporated into a steady state workout:

• Increase your speed. Make certain you are injury free and in good health before you choose this method, as increasing speed has been linked to higher injury rates than other modes. (Carrol et al. 1992)
• Add impact. Squat jumps, burpees (squat thrusts), explosive jumping from the ground to a stair step or other raised platform…anything that briefly increases the intensity the exercise you’re doing. I like to incorporate plyometrics into track workouts, where running/jogging laps are briefly interrupted with a set of high-knee skips, explosive lateral shuffling, or power jacks (exagerated jumping jacks).
• Add resistance. If you’re working out on a stationary cycle or elliptical machine, this is a very simple component to change. Simply increase the resistance for short bouts. To determine if the resistance is hard enough, I use this general rule of thumb: if you have to lower resistance after 15-20 seconds, the resistance is too high. If you can continue past 3 minutes, it is likely too easy. In other words, after 1-3 mins, you WANT (or need) to end the interval and begin a 2-3 minute recovery.
• Increase the incline. This is easier to manipulate on a treadmill, however hill work can be incorporated into an outdoor workout too. If you’re on the treadmill, you can keep the speed constant, but increase the incline for short periods. Again, 1-3 minutes is sufficient. One of my favorite outdoor versions of this involves my sister-in-law’s neighborhood in Wake Forest, NC where the hills are steep and abundant. When we visit, I lace of up shoes, warm up for 5-10 minutes,  and head one block south of her home where the route around this large block starts uphill, then levels off before going down hill for the recovery part of the workout. I credit this workout with helping me tackle the hills in last spring’s Flying Pig half-marathon in Cincinnati.

Make sure the recovery portion of the interval is two to three times as long as the all-out effort. If your interval was 1 minute long, then the recovery should be 2-3 minutes. Perform your interval workout once per week for starters, increasing to two times per week (not on successive days) to see further improvements.

* Note: Blue Sky Gym and the author disclaim any liability for any injury, physical or emotional, suffered during or as a result of exercise or activities recommended. As always, you should use common sense and consult your health professional before beginning any exercise routine or program.

H.I.I.T, or high-intensity interval training is exactly what it sounds like it is: intervals of high-intensity aerobic exercise with alternating periods of rest/recovery. This method of training has received a lot of attention in recent years because it burns calories like crazy. (Perry et al. 2008) It is also another way you can shake up your workout, especially if you’ve noticed your results plateauing.

How it works:

As you might guess by the words, “high intensity,” the exercise interval portion, or “work,” is at a level comparable to an 8 or 9 on a 10pt Perceived Exertion Scale (RPE), or, 90-95% of max heart rate. The intervals range between 1-4 minutes with periods of recovery in between each interval.

There are many ways to skin this cat…you could do intervals at a ratio of 1:1 (1 min or work, 1 min of rest); 2:1 (2 min of work, 1 min or rest); 3:1 (3 min of work, 1 min of rest)…you get the idea. There truly is no “right” or “wrong” way to go about interval training.

Mode of exercise: You can use any form of cardiovascular activity that appeals to you. Running, stair climbing, cycling, swimming, even jogging in place, as long as the intensity in your routine is high and can be sustained for the given number of minutes.

Time: Again, there is no hard and fast rule for length of time, though the more intervals you do, the more calories you’ll burn. 30-60 mins is probably a good range.

Rest: During the recovery periods it is important to keep moving, just lower the intensity to 40-60% of max heart rate.

Cool down: Include a 5-10 minute cool down period after this workout (you’ll need it!)

Benefits: Improved ability to oxidize fat!

A heart rate monitor would be extremely helpful during this workout to track heart rate and calories burned.

* Note: Blue Sky Gym and the author disclaim any liability for any injury, physical or emotional, suffered during or as a result of exercise or activities recommended. As always, you should use common sense and consult your health professional before beginning any exercise routine or program.