Not everyone can get out there and run 10 miles by
themselves, but not everyone works well on a soccer team, either. So find out
what type of exercise is gonna get you pumped and keep you comin’ back for more
with these four personality-themed workouts.
Dedicated Diva
You’re a hard worker, and you’re all about challenging
yourself. So what you need is a long, hard workout that’ll leave you feelin’
like you’ve earned every minute of that time in front of the TV later. Start
off by running an easy half-mile to warm up. Then, run one mile as fast as you
would for a 5k. Take a break for 3 minutes and 30 seconds. Run three more miles
at that 5k pace with 3:30 rest time between each. Finally, close out with some
core work. Do 4 sets of 15 push-ups, but switch up the types you do – try
holding your arms out wide, or doing diamond push-ups by holding your hands
close together. Then do 5 sets of 25 sit-ups. You can substitute planks,
bicycles, leg lifts and other core exercises for regular sit-ups, if those get
a li’l too repetitive.
In With the New
You can’t stick to one topic for more than two seconds, and
you’re always flitting from one activity to the next. So try this speed workout
that keeps your bod and mind racin’. Warm up by running slowly for 5 minutes
and then doing 3 accelerations over a short distance to get your bod ready for
goin’ fast. To begin the workout, jog for 5 minutes. When your watch hits the
fifth minute, pick up your pace a little bit and keep it there for 60 seconds.
At the sixth minute, pick up the pace a little more and keep that going for 60
seconds. Do the same for the seventh, eighth and ninth minutes. By the time you
hit your seventh minute, you should be going at about 75 percent of your full
effort, and your ninth minute should be between 85 and 95 percent. On the tenth
minute, slow back down to the original jog that you did in the beginning. Then
do the entire routine two more times, so that you’re alternating 5 minutes of
slow with 5 minutes of fast for a total of 30 minutes of running time.
Chatty Chica
Gotta have someone to talk to while you’re exercising? Get a
bunch of your girlies together for this group workout! First, run an easy half
a mile to warm up. Then, line up like you’re playing “follow the leader.” The
first gal starts off running at a medium pace – comfortable, but still fast
enough that you’re all makin’ an effort. After a minute or so, the last girl in
line sprints up to the front, becoming the new leader. As soon as she makes it
to the front, whoever is now last in line sprints up to be in front of her.
Continue like that, with the last chica constantly sprinting to the front, for
25 minutes. And if at any time the line starts going so fast that there’s a gap
in it, make everyone slow down (except the current sprinter). Afterwards, have
each girl pick a different type of sit-up and push-up for the group to do.
Don’t forget to cheer each other on as you go!
Safe And Sound
If you aren’t big on the great outdoors, check out this machine-based
workout to make the most of what you’ve got inside. Start out with a 15-minute
warm-up on a stationary bike. Then hop on over to a treadmill, and run for 5
minutes at an easy pace. After that, set the speed so that you feel like you
could keep it up for a while but wouldn’t be totally comfortable. Raise the
incline one degree for 2 minutes. Then, up it to two degrees for 2 minutes. Go
back down to one degree for 2 minutes, and skip up to three degrees for 2
minutes. Keep switching the incline every 2 minutes, steadily climbing in
degrees but alternating back down to one each time, until you hit 7 degrees.
(The degree setting should look like this: 1-2-1-3-1-4-1-5-1-6-1-7.) At the
end, do 10 minutes of easy jogging with no incline to cool off.
Not a runner?
No sweat! Apply these ideas to the cardio activity that gets
you pumped, like cycling and rollerblading—anything goes!
So babes, which kinds
of workouts are your faves?
BY CARRIE RUPPERT ON 10/8/2012 11:24:00 AM
POSTED IN running workout, workouts, lean leg workouts, lazy girl's workouts