Every Thursday and Sunday for the last year, I’ve gone through the same sprint workout. This time, I find myself dreading following that routine. A warm-up followed by four 100s, four 60s and four 40s…I can’t do it today. I need something different. From business2community.com:

Ask anyone who fell off the bandwagon with their New Year’s fitness resolutions: boring workouts that you dread and only do out of obligation will kill all motivation and enthusiasm for health and fitness.

Even though I’m a creature of routine, I buy into this principle. I use the sprint workout to maximize fat burn and build and maintain speed. I know that I need to continue to implement my usual principles of rest, recovery and short bursts of explosiveness.  From nerdfitness.com:

The majority of a sprint workout is going to be spent resting in between sets. This is hard for some people to grasp at first (my self included) but is necessary for getting the training benefits. The longer rest periods allow your muscles to replenish the locally stored energy and your nervous system to work efficiently. When you decided to take shorter rest periods between sprints you don’t allow either of these two things to happen. Incomplete rest can cause you to compensate for tired muscles, reinforce bad running mechanics and if you’re very unlucky, cause a muscle pull. These workouts are just as much of a test of patience as they are a test of your speed.

I’m a champion at the patience part; I fire off emails between sets in an all out effort to exercise (see?) efficient behavior. I just need a different flavor today, dig? I’ve always countered monotony with creativity and spontaneity, so I’m going to get up, walk out of my front door and see what I come up with.

Tick, tick, tick.

I’m back and stoked to share my workout with you over a giant salad, a block of grass fed blue cheese and a lamb burger, all prepared yesterday.  Give it a shot, add your seasoning, and let me know how it goes.

First, the warmup:

• 10 minute walk.
• 2 sets of high knee marches for 10 yards
• 2 sets side shuffles, 85% intensity for 15 yards
• 2 sets butt kickers, focused on form, 15 yards
• 2 sets high skips, full intensity, 5 reps each leg
• 2 50 yard dashes at 75%, full recovery

The following sprints were performed from a “starting block position” at 100% intensity in this exact order:

• 30 yards x 1
• 40 yards x 1
• 50 yards x 1
• 60 yards x 1
• 70 yards x 1
• 90 yards x 1
• 100 yards x 1
• 80 yards x 1
• 20 yards x 1

I wanted more variety and realized that the track has a neighbor, the football field. I performed at full intensity:

• 1 10 yard dig
• 1 10 yard out
• 1 15 yard post
• 1 15 yard corner

Not fully satisfied, I did some stair jumping and built up with single reps of a stair at a time with full recovery until I skipped six.

As I walked through some light hills home, I added 3 sets of 15 yard back pedals at full intensity. There is nothing better than getting my workout in while soaking up the Malibu sun.

There are no rules to this fitness game, folks. Create and make your own workout spice rack.

Kap