Start by taking a baseline measurement of your endurance at high speeds. Head to a track, football field, or other measured area with room to run. Sprint for 45 seconds and record your distance. Rest for 60 seconds, then sprint again for 45 seconds. If you don't regularly run intervals or don't participate in intermittent sports, your second span will probably shorten by as much as 25 percent, says Craig Ballantyne, M.Sc., C.S.C.S., owner of TurbulenceTraining.com. "A distance drop of only 10 percent between runs is excellent," he says. Use this plan to improve your endurance and burn fat, measuring your progress every week.
The Program
Alternate between workout A and workout B for a total of 3 sessions a week for 6 weeks.
Workout A
Jog 2 minutes, do the exercises on pages 2 and 3, then do the intervals below.
REPS EFFORT TIME REST
1 50% 60 sec 60 sec
1 75% 60 sec 60 sec
3 OR 6* 100% 30 sec 90 sec
Workout B
Jog 2 minutes, do the exercises on pages 2 and 3, then do the intervals below.
REPS EFFORT TIME REST
1 50% 60 sec 60 sec
1 75% 60 sec 60 sec
3 OR 6* 100% 45 sec 90 sec
* Do 3 of these high-intensity intervals the first week, and 6 each week after.
