Why do we train?
To gain physical and mental benefits.
To get stronger.
To get faster.

All of these require something called “progressive overload.” Simply put, we slowly introduce more volume and intensity so that our muscles will respond by getting stronger and more accustomed to our efforts. Then we repeat the cycle, hoping to induce more out of our bodies.

The fact that we often lose sight of, is that exercise breaks muscle fibres down so that they can be rebuilt to deal with the extra demand we are placing them under. That rebuilding takes place after the exercise is finished. This time should be treated as top priority if we want to realize the gains we’ve worked so hard for. There are three areas which I think are important to concentrate on here so that training is not “wasted”:

Rest – Sleep and time away from training need to be a priority. Be honest with yourself and your sleep needs. If you are constantly tired, try to find a way to schedule more rest. You may find you need even more sleep as the volume and intensity increase.

Nutrition – Stay hydrated. We’ve all been guilty of going for coffee when we should be drinking water, juice or sports drink after a workout. The same goes for nutrition. Find out your recommended intake from a nutritionist or knowledgeable coach. In a nutshell, endurance athletes need more carbohydrates than sedentary people, among other nutritional considerations. Try to find quality food that is less processed wherever possible. Start with Canada’s Food Guide (see link on the right).

Self-help – If you are able to, get massage for those sore muscles. There are also self-therapy ideas you can try. Elevating your legs after a bike ride or run. Wearing compression socks after long runs. Ten minutes in a cold water bathtub after a run. These can all help speed recovery and have you feeling ready for your next workout.

I’d like to leave you with a challenge: Get a logbook and each day, rate your rest, nutrition and self-help on a scale of 1 to 5 (5 being best). A little awareness will help develop good habits of taking care of yourself.

Balance exercise with rest and recovery

It is this alternation of adaptation and recovery that takes a person to a higher level of fitness. Monitoring your workouts with a training log, and paying attention to how your body feels and how motivated you are is extremely helpful in determining your recovery needs and modifying your training program accordingly.

Squats are one of the best lower body exercises you can do. Why? One reason is that squats are multi-joint exercises which target all the muscles of the hips, glutes and thighs. This version, which requires no weights or equipment (other than a chair) is great for beginners, for anyone with knee problems or for those who are overweight and need a bit more support. It’s also great for anyone wanting to add more functionality into their lives because it mimics the movements we do each time we sit down or stand up.

1. Place a chair just behind you and stand in front of it with feet about hip- or shoulder-width apart.
2. Contract the abs and keep them tight as you bend the knees and slowly squat towards the chair.
3. Keep the knees behind the toes as you sit down on the chair for a few seconds.
4. Contract the glutes and hamstrings to lift up out of the chair and begin extending the legs.
5. Fully extend the legs until you’re back to standing position.
6. Repeat this for 1-3 sets of 10-16 repetitions.
7. To progress, squat down until you’re just hovering over the chair, but not sitting all the way down.
8. Always keep the knees in line with the toes!

Once you’re able to do more than 16 Chair Squats, it’s time to progress and add some challenge to your squats. One option is to hold a dumbbell as you squat, which is a great way to add intensity without putting any extra load onto the spine (as in barbell squats below). Here’s how to do it:

1. Stand with feet hip- or shoulder-width apart.
2. Hold a medium-heavy dumbbell in front of your body with arms straight and elbows slightly bent.
3. Bend the knees and lower into a squat. Stop when your knees are at 90 degree angles OR before you lose the natural arch of your back.
4. Contract the glutes and legs while stabilizing your body with a strong torso.
5. Slowly stand back up without locking the knees and repeat for 1-3 sets of 10-16 repetitions.
6. Always keep the knees in line with the toes!

Another version of the dumbbell squat involves holding two dumbbells. You can either hold them at your sides or just above the shoulders (as shown). Holding dumbbells is just one more way to add intensity to your workouts and build muscles in the glutes, hips and thighs. Here’s how to do it:

1. Stand with feet hip- or shoulder-width apart.
2. Hold medium to heavy dumbbells in each hand just outside the thighs or with arms bent above the shoulders.
3. Bend the knees and lower into a squat. Stop when your knees are at 90-degree angles OR before you lose the natural arch of your back.
4. Contract the glutes and legs while stabilizing your body with a strong torso.
5. Slowly stand back up without locking the knees and repeat for 1-3 sets of 10-16 repetitions.
6. Always keep the knees in line with the toes!

Barbell squats are a more intense version of squats, requiring more work from the largest muscles in the body. Barbell squats are a great addition to a workout, provided you do them correctly. Adding a weight to your shoulders puts much of that load onto your spine as well, so take care when adding weight onto the shoulders. Here’s how to do it:

1. Stand with feet hip- or shoulder-width apart.
2. Place the barbell just above the shoulders on the trapezius muscles (i.e., the ‘meaty’ part of the shoulders). If you feel uncomfortable, you can use a bar pad to protect your back.
3. Bend the knees and lower into a squat. Stop when your knees are at 90-degree angles OR before you lose the natural arch of your back.
4. Contract the glutes and legs while stabilizing your body with a strong torso.
5. Slowly stand back up without locking the knees and repeat for 1-3 sets of 10-16 repetitions.
6. Always keep the knees in line with the toes!

The Plie Squat involves a variation on foot placement that helps target your leg muscles in different ways. In a plie squat, for example, you incorporate a bit more inner thigh than in traditional squats. This can be a nice variation to add to your routine if you need a new challenge. Just take care when lowering down and only go as far as your flexibility will allow. Here’s how:

1. Begin in a wide stance with toes out at a comfortable angle. Your knees will need to stay alined with your toes, so don’t go out too far.
2. To add weight you can hold dumbbells on the upper thighs, a single dumbbell in front or a barbell on the shoulders or behind the head.
3. Bend the knees and lower down into a squat, keeping knees in line with toes, abs contracted and back straight.
4. Only go down as low as you can without compromising your flexibility or your balance.
5. Push back to start without locking the knees.

A front barbell squat is the same as other squat variations except for the placement of the weight. In a front squat, the barbell rests on the front of the shoulders, held in place by crossing the arms over the bar. By moving the weight in front of you instead of behind you, you change your center of gravity and, thus, change the focus of the exercise to the quads. Because of how you’re holding the weight, you’ll need to use a lighter weight for this version than the tradtional barbell squat. Here’s how to do it:

1. Stand with feet hip- or shoulder-width apart.
2. Place the barbell on the front of the shoulders and cross the arms over the bar to hold it in place.
3. Bend the knees and lower into a squat. Because of how you’re holding the weight, your torso will remain vertical and you may not be able to squat down as low, so take care not to compromise your balance.
4. Contract the glutes and legs slowly stand back up without locking the knees and repeat for 1-3 sets of 10-16 repetitions.
6. Always keep the knees in line with the toes!

The wall sit is a bit different from typical squats since you’re holding a static position for a certain period of time, rather than working through an entire range of motion. This is a great exercise you can do anywhere without any equipment to help you build endurance in the lower body. Here’s how to do it:

1. Stand in front of a wall (about 2 feet in front of it) and lean against it.
2. Slide down until your knees are at about 90-degree angles and hold, keeping the abs contracted, for 20-60 seconds.
3. Come back to start and repeat, holding the squat at different angles to work the lower body in different ways.
4. To add intensity, hold weights or squeeze a ball between the knees.

The one leg squat or pistol as the Russians like to call it is one of my favourite exercises.  If you’re travelling somewhere and can’t use a gym this is a great exercise. If you’re at the office and you don’t feel like going to a gym to work your legs after a hard day just do this exercise while at work. Obviously this will make your legs stronger as a lot of strength is required to lift your whole body off the floor on one leg but it’ll also improve your balance and coordination.

Stand with a straight back, head facing forward, and arms at your sides. Correct posture is important for the balance required during this challenging exercise. Focus on keeping this good posture during the entire exercise. Don’t’ drop your shoulders or shift them forward.

Lift your right leg straight up until it is positioned parallel to the floor. Your toe should not be pointed. Keep your foot flexed. Stabilize your body on the left foot that is firmly planted on the floor. Align the weight of your body over the planted left foot, centered over the heel.

Extend your arms forward for balance. Tensing your muscles will help keep your balance.

Lower yourself by bending your left leg at the knee in a slow and measured movement. Bend your leg until it touches the back of your calf. Keep your right leg extended in front of you and your arms out at the sides. Don’t let your knee move forward or to the side.

Raise yourself gradually from your lowered “pistol” to your starting position.

Help yourself learn how to do this exercise by using a chair placed behind you to catch you halfway through the squat. This slight variation will help you learn to balance your body properly as you raise and lower yourself in the one-legged squat position. You can also stabilize yourself against a wall until you can master this exercise without the added support.

Some of the best exercises are those that can be done without the need for any extra equipment and by simply using your own body weight. Regular squats are great, but Squat Jumps offer a new take on the old squat — one that you’re definitely going to feel in your quads:

• Stand with feet shoulder-width apart, arms at sides.
• Start by doing a regular squat and then jump up as explosively as you can when you rise up reaching for the ceiling.
• When you land, lower your body back into the squat position to complete one rep.

There are more squatting exercises which can be done at the gym, but it’s not my intention to give a fully list of every squat, instead just the most common exercises that involve the squat. But how many repetitions and sets should you do???

Your decision should be based on your goals.  The ACSM recommends 8-12 reps for muscular strength and 10-15 reps for muscular endurance. They also recommend at least 1 set of each exercise to fatigue although you’ll find that most people perform about 2-3 sets of each exercise.  In general:

• For fat loss: 1-3 sets of 10-12 reps using enough weight that you can ONLY complete the desired reps.
• To gain muscle: 3+ sets of 6-8 reps to fatigue. For beginners, give yourself several weeks of conditioning before going to this level. You may need a spotter for many exercises.
• For health and endurance: 1-3 sets of 12-16 reps using enough weight that you can ONLY complete the desired reps.

How Long To Rest Between Exercises/Workout Sessions

This will depend on your goal. Higher intensity (i.e., when lifting heavy) exercise requires a longer rest. When lifting to fatigue, it takes an average of 2 to 5 minutes for your muscles to rest for the next set. When using lighter weight and more repetitions, it takes between 30 seconds and 1 minute for your muscles to rest.

Squatting is not only a good exercise but also a good way of training for this…

2. Decline Push-ups

Place hands on floor (wider than shoulders) and prop feet on a step, platform or (if you’re advanced) an exercise ball. Slowly bend arms and lower body until elbows are at 90 degree angles. Straighten arms and push up without locking elbows. Keep abs tight throughout the movement!

3. Chest dips

Grab a set of parallel bars, or simply use a chair or two, slightly wider than your shoulder width. Gripping the bars closer to your body will work the triceps, so remember to hold the hand bars away from your body and lean forward at a 10 degree angle. Inhale.

Exhale and simultaneously pull yourself up to support your body weight by extending your arms to the point just before locking the elbows. Cross your legs at your ankles for balance.

Inhale and slowly bring yourself down by bending at the elbows while leaning in slightly. Dip as low as required for a desirable workout burn but not low enough to strain your shoulders. Exhale and push yourself back up.

4. Plyo push-up

Assume the basic Push-up position. Hands beneath the shoulders, the back flat legs straight. head slightly up eyes forward.  Inhale and slowly lower yourself down to the floor. Don’t let your chest touch. Hold for a second or so.  Now with explosive force, exhale and push off enough so that your hands leave the floor. Return to the starting position and repeat the exercise.

5- Handstand push-ups

6. Pull-ups

If you don’t have a pull-up bar at home, just do it like it is showed in the video, put a towel on top of the door and use it to grip the upper part of the door to push your body up and control your body when it’s time to come back to the starting position.

I always use a circuit type of training that consists of :

- Dive bombers ( 20 reps )

- Decline push-ups ( 20 reps )

- Chest dips ( 15 reps )

- Plyo push-up ( 10 reps )

- Handstand push-ups ( 6 reps )

- Door pull-ups ( 1o reps )

All of them repeated in 4-5 rounds… this is my own training method, you should create yours according to your own skills, fitness level and motivation.

Exercise doesn’t have to be boring. Even basic exercises such as push-ups and jumping-jacks can be made fun if you add a little challenge to them. Give yourself something to accomplish each workout and not only will you improve each time, you’ll have more fun and the time will fly by. Below are various ways to challenge yourself each time you workout.

5-50 Challenge – Do the following 5 exercises: squat, push-up, jumping-jack, mountain climber, and crunch in any order. 50 reps for each exercise, with good form and as fast as you can. Record your time and try to improve each time you do this workout.

3 Exercises – 21 Minutes (7 rounds) - The exercises are: kettlebell swing, burpee, kettlebell front squat. You’ll need an interval timer. Set it for 40 seconds on and 20 seconds rest. Record the number of reps you do between each round. Add up all of your reps at the end to get a final score and try to improve the next time you do the workout.

15-10-5 – The exercises include body squat, push-up, and pull-up. You do 15 body squats, 10 push-ups, and 5 pull-ups. You repeat these sets for as many times as you can in 20 minutes. You can take as many breaks as you need but the goal is to get in as many rounds as possible. Keep track of how many rounds you did and try to improve next time.

Ladders – Count up or count down. Pick several exercises that you can do start with a number of reps you want to start or end with. For example, start with 8 reps for each exercise and count down. When one set is complete, start again with 7 reps, then 6, etc. You can also do the reverse and count up starting with 1 rep, finish a set of exercises, then 2 reps, and so on.

30-Seconds - Pick 3 to 5 body weight exercises. Set a timer for 30 seconds for each exercise, after each set, rest 1 minute and repeat two to three more times.

Timed intervals are always fun to do and there are so many exercises that you can swap out. The best part is that you don’t need a gym membership to do them. Here are some exercises just to give you some ideas:

• Body weight squat
• Jumping jacks
• Push-up
• Lunges
• Burpees
• Mountain climbers
• Kettlebell swings ( If you don’t have a Kettlebell, you can simply use a big bottle of water with some sand or any other filling inside; don’t forget the bottle should have a handle for you to hold it )
• Stationary speed skaters
• Plank
• Side-step

In order to stick to an exercise program, and make it work for you, you need to find a way to keep that original motivation. Here are some tips to help get you motivated, and encourage you to stay that way.

1. Find A Role Model – Who has that “perfect” body that you would love to have? Who sticks to a fitness plan, and shows that dedication in the way they live their lives? Many women tape up pictures of someone they aspire to be like, such as a model or actress. This is a great way to keep your goals fresh in your mind, and to remind you what you’re striving towards. Make sure that you choose someone deserving of your admiration – not someone who has unhealthy eating or exercise habits, or who has an impossible to achieve image.
2. Set Small Goals – If you have set the bar too high by setting goals that are too tough to reach, you’re setting yourself up to be disappointed. If you don’t achieve the goals you have set, you will become discouraged. Just set smaller, easy to achieve goals and work your way towards the bigger goals. Start with something simple like, “I will work out three times this week.” Once you have established a routine, start working out harder, and try doing more each session.
3. Reward Yourself – Setting goals is a great way to get yourself going in an exercise program, but if you have a hard time keeping yourself going, don’t be afraid to offer yourself rewards for any small achievements. You don’t need to go overboard – just small rewards for reaching small goals. Take yourself out to a movie you’ve been wanting to see if you achieve your goal of working out three times in the week. Just remember that if you’re working out to lose weight, don’t reward yourself with food!
4. Get A Buddy – Having someone to work out with makes it much more fun, and will keep you more motivated to exercise. You might even find that you’re actually looking forward to it! Not only that, but having a buddy makes it much harder for you to skip your workout, because they will be there to hold you accountable. Let them encourage you and motivate you when you don’t feel like exercising, and do the same for them. If you can’t find a buddy to work out with, hire a personal trainer to give you that extra push.
5. Make It Fun – Exercise doesn’t have to be boring or repetitive. If you don’t like your exercise routine, change it and make it more exciting. Keep trying new exercises until you find something you enjoy doing. If your exercise routine is fun, you will end up looking forward to exercise, instead of dreading it.
6. Mix It Up – Anything you do over and over every day is going to get boring, no matter how motivated you are to succeed. Find several different exercises you enjoy, and alternate. Try swimming on Monday, dance class on Wednesday and a Pilates tape at home on Saturday. Whenever you find yourself getting bored with a workout, replace it with something else you enjoy, and go back to it again when you’re ready.
7. Don’t Take It Too Seriously – If you start treating exercise like hard work, that’s exactly what it will become. Make your exercises light, fun and exciting rather than looking at it as a chore you have to do. Don’t let yourself get a bad attitude towards exercising, or you will be more likely to give up.

Staying motivated isn’t hard if you approach your exercise program with an open mind. Be flexible and let yourself have fun. Eventually, you will realize that you’re actually enjoying working out, and before you know it, you will be looking forward to exercising.

Breaststroke is perhaps the easiest swimming  technique that one can learn. For most, the breaststroke technique is the first technique that is learned before they step into other, more difficult techniques like the butterfly stroke.

Many new swimmers are encouraged to learn the breaststroke swimming technique for this same reason. If you’re a new swimmer and are just about to start learning how to swim, then having some breaststroke tips will help you in the process. The breaststroke tips described here will help you to understand the basic techniques of this particular stroke and therefore will make your job easier.

The first thing that one needs to learn as part of the breaststroke tips is how to swim breaststroke correctly. For this, there are certain steps that you need to keep in mind:

Step One – The Legs

1. Make sure that the whole body is at the same level when at the surface.
2. Maintain a position that allows the shoulders to be in one line and the hips flat in the water.
3. Now imagine a frog swimming and repeat the same action.
4. Bend the knees outwards and bring the feet close to the hips.
5. Now turn the feet out so you can push back with the bottom of the foot.
6. Push with your feet and legs so that now your legs are straight and at an angle to each other.
7. Now close your legs so that the knee touch.
8. Make sure that both legs are doing the same thing at the same time.

Step Two – The Hands

1. Learning the breaststroke tips for the arms is much easier because one can see them and what exactly is happening.
2. First of all stretch your arms out in front of you. These should be under the surface of the water.
3. Now draw both hands out in the form of a complete circle. Make sure that both arms move simultaneously and are in front of your shoulders.
4. Finish the step by stretching out the arms in front of you again.
5. Between each stroke, stretch out fully.
6. Stretch out by making your body long and thin.
7. The arms and legs should be under water all the time.
8. One of the most important breaststroke tips to remember, is that there should be no splashing sound made and this can only happen if the arms and legs are under water.

Step Three – Breathing

1. Make sure to get the face out of the water followed by the arm movement and then the legs.
2. When you stretch your arms forwards, that is the time you lift your head up over the surface of the water to draw in a breath.
3. Now go back to completing the full circle motion with your arms.
4. It’ll take a little time to get the coordination just right.

Step Four – All Together

1. Once you have mastered the three essential pointers of the breaststroke technique, all one needs to do is bring them all in together.
2. This is how you should go about it.
3. Pull the water with your arms then come up for air.
4. Now kick the water with your legs.
5. Stretch your entire body to make it long and thin.

When you get the breaststroke technique down pat, practice and practice harder. This will help you to know how to swim breaststroke faster as well.

Here are some other breaststroke tips that you can use for improving your breast swimming stroke:

1. Make the body lift and fall. This will help you do the swimming technique better.
2. Lift your shoulders and your chest when your arms pull together. This will make the shoulders steer clear of the water.
3. So also, make your hips rise and fall by kicking into the water with flat feet.
4. When you bend your knees to move them apart, make certain that the knees are behind he body. So also, make sure that the feet are kept slightly apart when you lift them to the bottom.
5. Make sure to bend the elbows and keep them near the surface of the water when you are about to move them in a circle. Now bring them back and tuck them into your chest when you come back.

Breaststroke Swimming Drills to Learn

Two-Count Glide Drill
Start by holding yourself in the streamlined or stretched position for complete two counts. Put your head down and keep your neck straight. Make sure you don’t stop your body unless you are in the extended position. Now start the pull slowly and pitch your hands forward until they are shoulder width apart. Move your hands swiftly through the power phase (the in sweep) and continue like this throughout the way up to the recovery.

Two-Kick / One-Pull Drill

This drill prepares you for a strong and efficient in-sweep and recovery. Hold the streamline position for a second kick in each stroke, meanwhile keep your hands apart to pressure your head and chest lower in the water. Keep your chin low and look down at the bottom of the swimming pool.

Two-Pull / One-Kick Drill
For this drill, make a strong pull, swing the hips ahead under your torso and throw your hands in to the streamline position while doing an amplified dolphin kick. Repeat the powerful pull, but this time kick a breaststroke kick. Practice both the kicks alternatively and ensure that the hip movement is identical between the two kicks.

One-Pull / Dolphin-Kick / One-Kick Drill
In this drill, take a powerful pull, throw your hands in to the streamline position and do a strong dolphin kick. Now hold the streamlined position with your upper body and arms and then perform a strong breaststroke kick. This drill mainly focuses on the undulation of the hips, streamline position of the arm recovery and the strength of the kick.

Opposite Hand / Foot Drill
For this drill, pull out with your left hand and keep your right arm stretched out. Likewise, kick with your right leg and keep your left leg extended backward. Practice the drill by alternating between both sides.

Aqua aerobics, also referred to as water aerobics or aquafitness, is one of the most effective and safe ways to get yourself into shape. Basically, it is composed of exercises done in shallow water such as a swimming pool, whether with or without  rhythmic music, pretty much like an aerobics class. Usually, an instructor stands on the deck of the pool, demonstrating various arm, leg and core exercises, which a class of exercisers, standing in chest deep water, follows.

Each workout session runs for about 45-60 minutes. It begins with a warm-up session, which incorporates slow cardio and stretching exercises to get the muscles ready for the increased activity to follow, and ends with a cool-down, where the limbs and other parts of the body are stretched and relaxed. According to estimations, about 500-700 calories are burned in a whole session.  It basically depends upon the intensity to which the moves are performed, that’s how great these type of workouts are, even a few days ago i tried explaining one of my students, that when inside water it’s the student who sets up is own pace, whether wanting to work cardio endurance ( movements performed at a fast speed ) or muscular resistance ( in this case, choosing a slower and much more controlled  movement execution ).

Compare the following estimation of calorie consumption for a 30-minutes workout:

- Land walking : 135 calories

- Deep water walking : 264 calories

- Jogging on land : 240 calories

- Deep water jogging : 340 calories

Water aerobics workouts usually combine a variety of techniques from a regular aerobics class, including walking or running backward and forward, jumping jacks, mimicking cross-country skiing, kickboxing, dance, along with different types of arm and hand movements. This type of workout also incorporates different types of equipment, used mostly to increase the amount of resistance to which the movements are performed underwater. Such equipments include: floating noodles, ankle/wrist weights, flotation belts, balls, flotation devices, steps, floating weights, etc. Though, as i usually tell my beginner students that before using any equipment, we should work mostly the movement coordination and posture improvement, because it is very easy to injure yourself when you’re working with equipment, since it doubles the resistance to which you would normally execute movements underwater.

Like other forms of aerobic workouts, water aerobics have benefits like helping you in losing weight, lowering blood sugar levels, reducing stress, lowering blood pressure, and so on. However, it has additional benefits over other forms of aerobic exercises. Since the buoyancy of water supports 90 percent of the body, practically anyone can do aquatic exercises, regardless of factors like fitness levels, obesity, age, and health conditions. Just as an example, one of the classes i have every saturday morning is composed of ladies of ages between 16 years old to 55 years old. All of them do exactly the same type of exercise, just different pace of movement execution.

People who are overweight also find water aerobics a great way to exercise. One of the reasons overweight people get quickly discouraged from continuing an exercise program is the great stress their joints and ligaments undergo in conventional aerobics, which can result in injury and pain. However, because the body gets buoyant in water, and less stress is put on joints and ligaments, it not only reduces the chances of injury, but overweight people can actually enjoy their workout. This can be a great motivating factor for them to stick to their exercise routine, and thereby shed their excess weight.

Water aerobics is also excellent for people recovering from an injury or surgery, or with health conditions like heart problems, arthritis, backache, osteoporosis, and so on. This is because the cushioning effect of water makes the exercises gentler on the body, while providing an effective workout. As a matter of fact, many sports personalities with injuries use water exercises to rehab. For instance, one can safely strengthen muscles by jogging in water, since it cuts out the stress of heavy impact when it is done on land, which can actually exacerbate the injury. Besides, apart from getting an overall workout, exercises concentrated on the injured part can also be safely done, thus helping to quicken recovery.

Another group of people for whom aqua aerobics is ideal is senior citizens. Many people in this age group have age-related conditions like brittle bones. Besides, if they have not been exercising, conventional aerobics done on land can be pretty tough on their aging bodies, increasing their chances of either injuring themselves or worsening a health condition like heart disease. Water’s buffering effect protects them from such risks. Besides, the group activity that aqua aerobics provides is also an additional benefit for this age group, for it gives them an avenue for overcoming loneliness by meeting new people and forming friendships.

Regardless of your fitness level, age and needs there is some kind of water exercise that is right for you. In conclusion water aerobics is a first class form of exercise which can benefit you in terms of fitness and health just as much as normal land based exercise and has the added benefit that is less likely to cause you injury or stress to your body. So get out there and find yourself a pool! And don’t forget the instructor too…

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In the summer, the hot and sunny weather  serve as natural motivators, inspiring us to swim.

However, once the warm season comes to an end, many of us lose interest in getting wet. What we may not realize is that the post-season is an ideal time to work on improving swimming technique. Whether  planning a break after the summer season or preparing to ramp up training in the fall, you may want to take the next few months to work on the checklist below.

Take one tip per week and only concentrate on that specific aspect of your stroke. The next week, choose to work on another tip, but remember the one you practiced the week prior. In 10 weeks time, not only should your stroke be markedly improved, but the improvements will feel natural and require less concentration because you added them together slowly over the course of a few months.

Rather than information-overloading yourself with too many things all at once , you will have taken several months to carefully master all the different, basic elements.

1. Head Position

Body position in the water is the most important component to swimming efficiently, and the position of your head dictates the position of the rest of your body. Look forward, with your hairline cresting the surface of the water in front of you (if your hairline is receding, then make sure that your forehead is just below the surface!).

Your neck and upper-back muscles should be relaxed, and assuming that your body is parallel to the bottom of the pool (as it should be), your head should be cocked forward about 45 degrees. If you “bury” your head into your chest, it will serve as a  form of resistance. It also will alter your body position by forcing your upper body to dive down and your hips to breach.

Conversely, if you look forward too far, your face will serve as resistance and your neck and upper-back muscles will tense up, causing fatigue and discomfort.

2. Reach Forward

With each stroke, make sure you are extending your arm to its maximum length. Many swimmers place their hand in the water in front of their head and begin their underwater pull. Instead, concentrate on placing your hand in the water about 15 inches in front of you, and then reach forward an additional 6 inches by extending your arm from your shoulder.

That little movement involving your shoulder (imagine you are standing and trying to reach for a ceiling just beyond your reach) can lengthen and smooth out your stroke for maximum efficiency.

3. Body Rotation

Body rotation is somewhat related to reaching forward, in that by pivoting your body with each stroke, you facilitate your shoulders extending forward at the end of each stroke. When your right arm is fully extended in front of you (and your left is about to exit the water behind you for its recovery), your body should be pivoted right.

This means the entire right side of your body should be submerged and facing the bottom of the pool, while the entire left side of your body should be breaching toward the ceiling/sky. With the next stroke, your body pivots to the left, altering your position about 120 degrees. Picture a rotisserie chicken being pivoted on the axis of the spit, and that is how your body should rotate with each stroke.

4. “Hourglass” Pull

When you are pulling your body through the water with your arms, you want to maximize the amount of water pulled. Since the shortest distance between two points is a straight line, the last thing you want to do when swimming is pull your arm through the water in a straight line. Instead, practice an S shape (a longer way of completing each stroke), so that if you were to pull both arms together simultaneously, the resulting path would resemble an hourglass silhouette (this simultaneous silhouette should also diagram your butterfly underwater pull).

At the beginning of the stroke, the hand extends out, away from your body. Keep your elbows high. As you catch the water, curve your hand back inward toward your belly button, then out again by your hip as your hand exits the water.

5. Finish the Stroke

Even some of the world’s best swimmers end up shortening their strokes when they get tired, pulling their hands out of the water prematurely at their waist area rather than by their upper thigh. As your arms complete their underwater hourglass pull, they should fully extend behind you, by your sides, so that your thumbs graze the side of your thighs below your suit-line.

Many swimmers begin bending their elbows toward the end of their stroke and pull their arms out of the water before allowing them to finish their path. By shortening their stroke, these swimmers lose efficiency while actually expending more energy because they are taking more strokes per lap (essentially spinning their wheels).

6. Sprint Flutter Kick

A sprint flutter kick should be a fast, underwater up-and-down motion, alternating both feet. Create as little white-water as possible and keep your feet submerged. As your body rotates, your feet should rotate with it. Be careful not to splay your feet out horizontally for balance (“scissoring”) as you rotate your body from side to side.

Rather, keep your feet in alignment with the rest of yourself and avoid breaking out of the narrow path your head and shoulders cut through the water (imagine swimming through the hole in a tire, keeping your feet close together as you slide through so as not to hit the edges).

7. Distance Crossover Kick

Distance kicking differs from sprint kicking in that it’s not meant to propel you forward as much as it’s meant to keep your rhythm while helping you stay afloat. Indeed, in longer races, attempting a sprint flutter kick will put you into oxygen depletion within laps, and you will crash and burn.

In races lasting a half-mile or more, it’s best to maintain a crossover kick, which is when you cross your ankles with each (or every other) kick. Crossover kicking comes naturally to some swimmers while seeming extremely unnatural to others. Not surprisingly, sprinters tend to gravitate toward a sprint flutter kick while distance swimmers find themselves crossing over.

Concentrate on what comes naturally to you, then try the different technique and see how it feels. Remember that the crossover kick is meant to be less physically exerting for longer events, and is thus not as effective as a means of propulsion. However, it is extremely useful in keeping one’s lower body afloat while conserving valuable energy during endurance events.

8. Breathing Head Position

When turning your head to breathe, make sure to turn it 90 degrees to the side. Many swimmers make the mistake of turning their head about 100 degrees so that their entire face (and both eyes) are above the water’s surface. You want to try to keep your head parallel to the surface with one eye above and one eye submerged. Turning your head any more is unnecessary; it requires more effort and can result in increased resistance as your body corkscrews out of control.

Also, take care not to lift your head forward to breathe; some novice swimmers lift their heads up and over rather than just to the side. The only time you should lift your head up is when you are sighting during open water swims. Otherwise, lifting your head is like using your face to put on the brakes; you create resistance in the water while putting more strain on your neck muscles.

9. Breathing Pattern

It is best to breathe on both the left and right sides (bilateral breathing). This serves to even out your stroke and keep your body balanced in the water. Swimmers who only breathe on one side tend to have an uneven stroke turnover, and they miss out on what their competition is doing on their blind side. They can also end up swimming in an arc rather than a straight line in open water.

In extreme cases, swimmers who favor one side end up with a slight curvature of the spine over time (scoliosis). Take the time to teach yourself to be a bilateral breather. There are no disadvantages.

10. Starts and Finishes

When pool swimming, most people disregard the importance of their takeoff and their finish. Even when pushing off the wall for a set of repeats, take the time to streamline with your arms clasped behind your head in a v, with your hands together. Finish each repeat with a strong stroke into the wall, rather than slowing down and coasting in with your head raised.

Being a perfectionist conditions you to race better and make every moment count. Remember that you learn through repetition, and if you practice sloppy starts or finishes you may end up just as careless during a race. Besides, keep in mind that the more you streamline off of each wall, the less you have to swim on that given lap!

1. The Ab Workout Myth

Did you know that abdominal exercises such as sit-ups, crunches, leg raises, and abs machines are actually uneffective when training to get a 6-pack??  It’s true… ab-specific exercises DO NOT burn stomach fat, nor do they train a large enough percentage of your full body muscle to stimulate your metabolism or a fat-burning effect.

2. The Diet Food Myth

Did you know that many of the “diet foods” at your grocery store that are marketed to you as “health foods” can actually increase belly fat storage?  While these companies use clever marketing strategies to fool you into thinking that many of their foods are healthy, in fact, some of them are really junk food in disguise!Be clever and read the labels of every product ALWAYS!!!!! Just as an example, normal butter and light butter, while the light butter may be less fat containing than the normal butter, it might have the same amount of calories. So be careful with it…

3. The Abdominal Machine Myth

Most of the ab machines, ab-lounge gadgets, ab-rockers, abs belts, and other info-mercial “abdominizer” gimmicks are all a TOTAL WASTE of your money (and your time).

I know that these advertisements showed fitness models with perfect bodies using these gadgets, but I guarantee you that these fitness models did NOT get their perfect bodies by using this type of equipment.  They got their perfect bodies by following strategic full body workout programs and being consistent and dedicated to good wholesome nutrition.

4. The Fat Burner Diet Pill Myth

Stop wasting money on bogus “fat burning” diet pills and other expensive supplements.  To be honest, most diet pills are pure garbage and won’t even help you to lose body fat any faster.After all, I’ve always heard: No Pain, No gain!!! This is true when it comes to abdominal training.

5. The Cardio Exercise Myth

Most people think it’s a ”fact” that you need hours and hours of cardio exercise routines each week to lose body fat.  This is simply NOT true.

I’m not saying that it doesn’t take some hard work, but what I am saying is that there are more effective styles of workouts that produce faster results than doing your typical boring long-duration cardio workout. I’ve been writing about High-Intensity Interval Training lately, so if you’re more interested about it you can find more information in this blog.

So what does work to get rid of stomach fat permanently and get flat abs?

1. The Importance of Cardio

You need to lose excess weight first, so cardiovascular training is actually the KEY to a strong and toned midsection. Cardio exercises burn more calories than simple abdominal exercises such as crunches or leg lifts. A good cardio workout can even burn fat on your entire body. Your stomatch muscles will only start becoming visible once you start losing the fat around your waist.

2. Working Your Upper Abs

For working the upper section of your abdominals, the basic crunch is one of the best exercises you can do for that purpose. You’re going to lie on your back on the floor. Placing your hands to the side of your head and bending your knees at a 90ºangle. Try lifting your shoulders upwards like if you were attempting to touch your chest to your knees. Remember, your legs do not move here! This exercises should utilize only the stomach muscles. Do this in sets of 3-4 with 15-30 reps each set. Give yourself some time to rest between sets.

3. Working Your Lower Abs

For the lower section of your abdominals, the best exercise you can do is the reverse crunch. Which consists of lying down on your back with your hands placed directly to the back of your head, bending your knees and holding your feet about 5 inches off the floor. Slowly, start bringing your knees toward the chest, raising your butt slightly off the floor. You need to concentrate on your stomach muscles only. You’ll be doing this exercises in sets of 3-4, making sure you do 15-30 reps each, resting 1-3 minutes between each set.

4. Eating right

Don’t be fooled by getting into those fad diets announced in every women’s magazines. Sure, if you’re overweight, you really need to take it easy on some food, but it doesn’t mean starving yourself to death until you’re only nothing more than  skin and bones. On the contrary, too much dieting and starvation are going to be bad for you in the long term, because when you put yourself in a starvation mode, your body will take it as a signal for food shortage, slowing down your metabolism to preserve the energy. And once you go back to your old ways of eating right, it’ll be hard to push your metabolic rate up a notch.

And yes, starvation diets are going to burn away the fat ( a temporary answer to how to get a flat stomach ), but you’re going also to lose more muscle mass, and we all know that the more muscles we have in our bodies, the more fat we can burn. The right perspective about diet is that you shouldn’t think of it as what and what not to eat. Diet should be a lifestyle, where you know that eating the right food with the right portions will help you and your body functioning well, and even getting a flat stomach.

Too many beginning runners have only one speed: medium. And as someone who’s run a mini-marathon ( 8KM=5miles) few times and used to run as part of a training routine, I know that such a one-speed workout program can be not only boring, but it also doesn’t maximize your workouts. Even today, i always try to avoid running as a workout, simply because of that monotonous routine.

But do you know that just by adding  some variety into your running workout,  you’re becoming not only a better runner but also making things more interesting and avoiding boredom.

Are you scared? I’m not saying you have to start a marathon training program, or some kind of sprint workout program. But if the only speed you’re running right now is medium-pace, you should consider and at least try some other types of workouts.

Why? Just a few reasons:

1. Making  things interesting. Doing the same workout, each and every day, isn’t a lot of fun. In fact, it may be a reason for many people to quit running. Why would you do something that you seem not to enjoy?Too much repetition is hard on the mind.
2. Making you faster and stronger. Adding a little speed into your program can make you a better runner. If you have the same 5K time every time, it may be that you need some faster workouts.
3. Helping you running longer. If you ever want to do a longer race, such as a 20K, half marathon or marathon, you need to switch from medium speed to slow, in order to build your endurance. Slowing your speed down (lowering intensity) allows you to run longer. And if you slowly lengthen the distance of your longest run, you can slowly build up endurance.
4. Allowing your body to adapt. After a month or so of doing one type of workout, you body will adapt and you’ll no longer be getting the same kind of benefits from that workout. You need to change things up every 3-4 weeks in order to see improvements.

I should note that if you’re just starting out as a runner, I wouldn’t do the harder workouts below for at least a couple months. Your body is still adjusting to running, it’s perfectly fine to use them once you start to feel less tired from each workout.

So, let’s take a look at just a few different types of workouts you can do to add spice to your running program and improve your performance:

1. The long run: Basically, it’s just extending how long you can run by a little. For marathons, a long run is usually considered 16 or more miles, but for people training for shorter races, shorter runs can still be considered long runs. It’s been said that the long run IS marathon training … because while you need to do more than your long runs to train for the marathon, the long run is what helps you build the endurance needed for the marathon. But (shorter) long runs can be used by any type of runner — if you’re trying to do better at the 5K, run longer than 3.1 miles so that the 5K is easy (endurance wise). To add long runs to your program, just schedule one workout a week where you try to add 10% to your longest run. So if the longest you’ve run recently is 3 miles, try running 3.3 miles one week, and then 3.6 miles the next week, and so on. Every 4 weeks, cut back on your long run to give your body a chance to rest — it can’t continue to build endurance without a break. When you do your long runs, slow down a little and try to run nice steady runs at easy pace.
2. Hills: Once you’ve built up a little endurance, hills are a perfect way to add strength to your training. Hills are like lifting weights for runners — you’re fighting gravity when lifting your bodyweight with your legs, in a running motion. To do hills workouts, you could do hill repeats — run up a hill, then coast back down it, and repeat. But I recommend finding a hilly course  so that your hills workout will have a little variety. Run strong up the hills and coast down them. If you’ve never done hill workouts before, take it easy in the beginning, as with any exercise. Just run slow up the hills and slow down them, until you get used to it.
3. The Fartlek: This funny name literally means “speed play” in Swedish. It’s actually a great starter workout for those who aren’t used to speed or interval training. Instead of hitting the track, take to your usual course on the road (or trail or wherever). Here’s how it works: warm up for 5-10 minutes, then start a series of varied intervals with speed and rest periods. So you could choose a landmark and run hard to it, and then jog to recover, and then choose another landmark and run hard to that, and so on. Fartleks can be extremely varied, so you could do shorter sprint intervals, followed by longer hard and steady intervals, throw in some hills, and so on. Run hard for as long as you want, then rest for a short while, then run hard again. As you do these fartlek workouts, you’ll get stronger and faster, and your intervals will get harder and longer as you go on.
4. Tempo run: This is a staple of many intermediate and advanced runner’s training plans, and if you don’t know this type of running yet, you don’t know what you have been missing. Basically, it’s a sustained run at a hard, controlled pace (usually for no more than 40 minutes). Beginners should start with a tempo run of about 5 minutes and work up to about 20. Always start and end a tempo run with 5-10 minutes of warmup and then cool down. So a tempo run of 20 minutes, for example, would be 5-10 minutes warmup, 20 minutes of steady, hard and controlled running, and another 5-10 minutes to cool down, for 30-40 minutes total. The tempo run improves your running pace and performance and makes your running more efficient. A variation is the tempo interval, which is two or more shorter tempo runs (say, 10-20 minutes) separated by a few minutes of easy pace. Tempo runs should be done slower than 5K or 10K pace, but faster than half marathon pace.
5. HIIT: This is one of my favorite types of workout and i even wrote already two articles about them (1,2) Short for High-Intensity Interval Training, HIIT is all the rage in many exercise circles, because of studies showing that it’s good for fat-burning and you can get a good workout in less time. Basically it’s a series of near-maximum intensity sprints with less-intense recovery intervals (after a good warm up) and usually lasts between 10-20 minutes (not counting warm up and cool down). HIIT, because of the intensity of the intervals, can be a very tough type of training.
6. 800′s: Basically, it’s a form of speed training for marathoners, but you could adapt it for other training. How it works: you do 10 repetitions of 800 meters (on the track), working up to a certain goal time. The goal time is figured by taking your goal marathon time (let’s say 3 hours and 30 minutes, or 3:30) and turning it from hours and minutes to minutes and seconds (in this example, it would be 3 minutes and 30 seconds per 800m repeat, or 3:30). So according to this theory, if you can do 10 repeats of 3:30 (3 minutes and 30 seconds), with 3:30 jogging rest intervals in between, you can do a 3:30 marathon (assuming you’re doing the appropriate long runs and other slower mileage).
7. Mile repeats: Another track repeating workout, mile repeats are exactly how they sound — a mile at strong pace, followed by a couple laps of recovery, and repeat. You could do other distances — 1000m, 800m, 400m, etc.
8. Zen run: Not really a workout, but something to change things up, especially if you’ve been doing some of the harder runs above. It is ca lled “Zen run” because the goal is not to improve performance or burn a lot of calories, but to focus on being present while running. It helps becoming more aware of your body, your surroundings, and your thoughts, not only as runner but also as a person.
9. Rest: It’s important to include “rest” on this list because it’s too often ignored by many runners. They run hard every day and don’t think they need to rest, but rest is just as important as the workout for getting fitter and faster … because the way your body gets more fit is first from the stress of exercise and second by adapting to that stress during the rest or recovery period. If you’re just a beginner, I recommend alternating running days with complete rest days. Later, you can add “recovery” runs in between harder workouts, instead of complete rest, but recovery runs must be run at a very, very easy pace ,basically, just to get your legs moving. You aren’t trying to go fast or long on a recovery run. Always use the hard-easy rule — if you run hard one day, rest or do a very easy recovery run the next. A hard run is any run where you run relatively fast or hard or long.

Every successful training program has a number of common rules. I find the next rules very helpful to those who have just started running or are thinking of adopting running as part of their lives.Try to incorporate each of these rules into whatever program you follow and your results will improve.

Begin Slowly

This rule is really like two rules in one. It has two separate, but related meanings. If you are just beginning a training program, start slow and easy. Even if you are in good condition; a new sport or program will stress different muscles and stress joints and connective tissue in different ways. You must let your body strengthen and adapt before you attack it with intense training.

This rule also applies to your daily training runs. If your workout calls for speed work or a moderate intensity run, start out at an easy pace. Your body needs to warm up before you throw any high intensity work at it. If you do not properly warm up, you run the risk of injury. When racing you will usually want to start the race at a pace that is slightly slower than your goal pace. Most athletes perform best when they run “negative splits”, which means running the second half of the race faster than the first. If you begin at a pace that is too fast, you may not be able to finish strongly.

Train Your Mind

Your body will attempt to do whatever your mind asks it to do. With any sport or fitness program, there are challenges that you must prepare yourself mentally for. The most strenuous mental and physical difficulties will occur at the beginning of a training program. You should use positive thinking and imagery. Toughen your mind for the challenge that is ahead and your body will follow to the best of its ability. A major difference between those of us that succeed in a program and those that fail is the ability to overcome the mental blocks and negative thoughts that sabotage our success. Before you can overcome the physical challenges, you must overcome any mental challenges that present themselves.

Train Consistently

One of the most important aspects of training is to train often and year round. It is better to exercise a little all of the time than to exercise a lot infrequently. It is especially important for beginners to train consistently so that the exercise becomes a habit and part of their everyday life. All lifelong runners have made running an important part of their daily routine. Each of those runners have had to force themselves to run everyday when they were first starting. Running or any other form of daily exercise, starts to become more of a daily habit after the first couple of months of the program. The hardest part is the first 30 days. Try to force yourself to do some exercise everyday. Even a walk around the block. Usually, once you get out there and get moving, it becomes easier to keep going. The hard part is getting out the door. If you find it tough to motivate yourself, take heart. It will soon become easier and you will even feel as if you are missing something if you don’t get your daily run in.

What happens if you do not train consistently? Fitness gains happen slowly. Loss of fitness happens at a faster rate. If you stop training for a couple of weeks, you will lose the fitness gains of a full month. If you stop running for a couple of months, you will lose almost all of your fitness gains. The popular saying ”use it or lose it” is very true when applied to fitness. There will be times when you decrease the amount and intensity of your training as a part of a planned rest and recovery period. During your rest periods, you should still run on a consistent basis in order to maintain a base level of fitness.

Don’t Have a Strict Schedule

You should follow a formal training program and have a scheduled routine, but it should not be a strict daily one. A weekly schedule is a better idea. Most training programs will give you a workout for each day. You do not have to follow that schedule day for day. Just try to follow the overall structure of the week. Feel free to move the workouts around to fit your schedule. Try to complete each of the workouts and allow the appropriate rest days, but it is not necessary to strictly follow it each day. With the variables of weather, work and social schedules, health and stress levels, a daily schedule is almost impossible to keep. With a weekly schedule you can fit each work out and rest day in where you can.

There are many times that something unforeseen related to weather, work or social commitments may force you to change or cancel a scheduled workout. If you have a strict daily workout, this may totally disrupt your schedule. With a more informal weekly schedule, you can move workouts around and still meet your training goals for the week.

Set Goals

If you just train aimlessly with no real goal in mind, you will soon lose interest and probably quit exercising. You should set both short and long-term goals. Once you have goals set, your workout will take on new meaning. You will have a reason to go out and exercise.

For beginning runners, possible goals include completing a 5K race, increasing the distance you can run, weight loss, or health and fitness gains. An experienced runner may set goals such as finishing a marathon, improving race performance or using a specific local race as a target. You can use anything you wish as a goal, but you must set one. You will have a much easier time in following a training program when your workouts have a purpose.

Alternate Hard and Easy Days

You shouldn’t run at the same intensity every day. If you have a hard workout on one day, either work out easy on the next day or even take the day off. Your muscles and connective tissue will recover and grow stronger on the easy days. If you stress your muscles intensely every day, they will never have a chance recover and grow stronger. Too much high intensity training will also lead to burnout, injury and illness. You should not, necessarily, work out at a hard pace every other day. Most training program call for high intensity workouts two to three times per week.

Train Specifically

Most of your training should be of the type of sport or activity that you are training for. If your goal is to run a marathon, you should tailor your training specifically for the marathon. Since you are a beginning runner, most of your training should be running and strength training. Crosstraining has become very popular in the past few years. Crosstraining is simply engaging in other types of training, such as bicycling and swimming. Crosstraining does have some benefit because it strengthens some muscles that are not used extensively in running. This will help keep your bodies muscles in balance and help avoid injury. But, as a new runner, you will want to concentrate on running. Running should dominate your training. Your most frequent form of crosstraining should be strength training. When properly done, strength training will take care of any possible muscle imbalances.

When you graduate from the beginning stage and become an intermediate or advanced runner, training specifically become even more important. You will be training for races of various distances from 100 meters to the marathon. The training requirements for each distance are very different. You cannot reach your peak at both the 5K and the marathon at the same time. You must train specifically for each distance.

Use a Periodized Training Schedule

Periodization refers to varying your training during the year. This type of schedule can take on many forms. A high school or cross country athlete has a relatively short racing season. A periodized program for this athlete would be one that concentrates on building a base of easy mileage in its early stages and would gradually increase in speed, strength, specificity and intensity. The athlete in this program would reach a peak or top level of fitness at the beginning of their race season. The training program would then be designed to maintain the fitness level throughout the race season. After the race season there would be a period or rest before starting the sequence again for the next season.

Recreational runners that run for fitness, along with an occasional race, would follow a very different periodized schedule. The scheduled would be less structured, but would still provide for periods of rest, easy runs, strength and speed. The important thing to remember is that you do not want to run at the same intensity all of the time. Too much speed work or high intensity training will lead to burnout or injury. To many easy runs will result in a lower level of fitness and poor race performance.

Listen To Your Body

Your body will always let you know when it needs rest and when it is ready for a hard work out. Do not let an overly strict training schedule force you to exercise intensely when your body is not prepared for it. Weather, illness, time of day, stress level and time of last meal will all affect your bodies ability to perform work. Listen to your body and you will avoid injury and make maximum fitness gains. There will be days when you have a difficult speed workout planned and you just do not feel up to it. You may feel lethargic, tired and sore. This is your body telling you it needs rest. On days like that, just do an easy run or rest completely. You will need to learn your bodies signals. As a society, we have made it a habit to ignore what our bodies are telling us. This is a bad habit that running will help you unlearn.

Crosstrain

You should obey the law of specificity of training, which is described above. However, you should always add strength training to your routine. Strong muscles will help support your joints and assist your connective tissue. Almost all running injuries are caused by weak, tight or imbalanced muscles. A properly designed strength training program will strengthen the muscles used in running and improve your overall strength levels. When you start to compete in road races, the strength training will greatly improve your performance.

On your easy or rest days, you can do a different type of exercise such as swimming, biking, walking and skating. This will help develop muscles that are not used in your primary running activity. Be sure that you do not exercise at an intense level on your rest days. The purpose of these rest days are to provide you body with the time it needs to recover and strengthen. If you crosstrain at too hard of a pace, your muscles will not get that opportunity to recover.

Quality Not Quantity

At one time it was believed that more weekly mileage would result in better performance. Many athletes would run well over 100 miles per week to prepare for relatively short races. Today, we know that it is the quality of your training that matters, not the quantity. You want to train smartly. Excessive mileage or ”junk miles” will only result in overtraining, burnout and injury. The mileage required to maximize performance will vary according to the distance you are training for and your current ability level. As a rule of thumb – any miles that you do not have a reason to run are junk miles.

Educate Yourself

Researchers are making new discoveries in the fields of running and fitness every month. Some of these new findings will make previous training methods obsolete and will uncover new ways of training. You should make it a habit to check running publications and web sites on a regular basis for the results of the latest research. You are responsible for educating yourself on all aspects of your physical and mental health.

Why ” interval training” ?

You’ll burn more calories in a shorter period of time for sure. That’s because during those harder periods, you’re challenging your body, making your heart beat faster and consequently, boosting the metabolism or burning calories. Sprinkle several of those intervals into one 30-minute workout, and you’ll crunch more calories than if you just walked at a normal pace for 30 minutes.

Interval training can also help you push past any plateaus and bring you to the next level of fitness. After all, if you always do the same workout, your body will get used to the same routine, which may explain why you’re not seeing results. With interval training, though, you wake your body up, challenging it to work again.

You can do interval training with any mode of activity, including walking, running, cycling and swimming, and even weight training. Even if you’re on a cardio machine at the gym, you can do interval training. And you don’t have to be super fit to do this, so beginners are  mostly welcome!

To do an interval training workout, spend five or 10 minutes warming up as you would for any workout. Once you’re done, begin the workout. Of course, you have to make some decisions about how you’re going to structure this workout. For starters, are you going to use hills or speed to get the intensity up? Even if you’re not outside, you can still do hills on cardiovascular machines.

Then decide how you’re going to determine when to speed up or slow down. If you’re outside, you can use landmarks like mailboxes, fence posts or trees to determine this.

You can also use timed intervals. Smith likes to set up intervals in three to one ratios, one being the high intensity work. For instance, you might do moderate intensity work for three minutes and then do one minute of high intensity work. Or you could do 90 seconds of moderate intensity work followed by 30 seconds of high intensity work.

So just how hard should you work during those more challenging periods? Imagine that you’re running to catch a bus, your breathing should feel labored, and your heart rate should increase. If, though, you feel like you’re going to pass out, you’re working too hard.

Make sure to allow your body to fully recover before you do each period of hard work. If you’re still trying to catch your breath and don’t feel like you’re ready to go again, even though your watch or the landscape might tell you otherwise, give yourself extra time. When your breathing’s recovered, push hard again.

And remember to have fun with interval training!