June Strength Schedule

In case it's helpful to anyone, here's the strength routine I put together for myself for this month. It's based off of exercises I did in workouts with Melanie, so it's very much focused on strengthening with the goal of becoming a faster runner. 

Here's a link to a downloadable Google doc version. Each day focuses on a different area of the body, with some core and hips work to finish the workout. 

"3x15" means three sets of 15 repetitions of the exercise. You should progress from exercise 1-4 for one set, then repeat for three total. Then move on to the core work portion.

In terms of amount of weight to use, as a guideline, you should be fatigued by the end of each set and you shouldn't feel like you could bang out another set of these exercises by the end of the workout.

Below, I've broken out each day and linked to YouTube videos that demonstrate the exercises. I apologize in advance for the abundance of scantily clad men in these videos (if you're offended by that). Apparently weight lifters like to take their shirts off. Also, sorry for the poor quality of each image!

Day 1 (Monday) - Lower Body

Cardio: 20 minutes of intervals

• 5 minutes easy running to warm up
• 20 minutes of intervals, anything from 30 seconds on and off to 2:00 on and off (on Monday I did 1 minute at increasingly fast paces and 1 minute at 10:00 minute miles, repeated for 20 minutes)
• 5 minutes easy running to cool down

3x12:

1. Single leg barbell deadlifts (12 reps each leg)
2. Barbell squats
3. Barbell walking lunges (15 reps total; alternate which side you start on)
4. Barbell hip lifts

3x15:

1. Single leg bicycles on BOSU
2. Plank toe taps on BOSU (Start at 1:15. Tap each leg outwards, both leg taps is one rep.)
3. Single leg bridge hip lifts on BOSU (15 reps perleg)

Day 2 (Tuesday) - Chest/Back

Cardio: 10-20 minutes easy running to warm up (or any cardio alternative; I played basketball with Sourabh on Tuesday)

3x15:

1. Lat pull-downs
2. High row (can be at a seated machine or standing with cables)
3. Arnold presses (go to 1:20)
4. Chest press on stability ball (feel free to use two dumbbells or a barbell)

3x15:

1. Hanging / Roman Chair knee-ups
2. Supermans
3. Donkey kicks (I alternate doing these straight back and out to the side)

Day 3 (Wednesday) - Easy Cardio

For me, an easy run is 4-6 miles on a relatively flat route at a pace at which I could keep up a conversation without any breathing problems. 

Day 4 (Thursday) - Lower Body

Cardio: Same intervals workout as above, but change the duration of the intervals up. If I did 1:00 intervals on Monday, I would be doing 30 second intervals at a faster pace, or 2:00 intervals at a slower pace.

3x15:

1. Dumbbell plie squat
2. Weighted jumping split squats (15 reps per leg)
3. Weighted around-the-world lunges (15 reps per leg)
4. Hamstring curls (you can also use a stability ball: see here)

3x15:

1. Weighted decline sit-ups
2. Weighted reverse sit-ups
3. Clamshells (15 reps per leg)

Day 5 (Friday) - Biceps/Triceps

Cardio: Same as Day 2 / Tuesday. 10-20 minutes easy running or some kind of cardio.

3x15:

1. Tricep press on cables
2. Squat to bicep curl on cables
3. Skull crushers
4. Hammer curls

3x15:

1. Stability ball sit-ups
2. "Dead Bugs" with stability ball
3. Stability ball toes-to-fingers

Days 6/7 (Saturday/Sunday) - Long Run/Rest

In order to keep up my running fitness, I'm doing one longer run a week. Depending on where my mileage is for the week, it'll be 8-10 miles (aiming for roughly 20 miles total each week). Saturday and Sunday are interchangeable. 

Hope this is helpful for someone! Shoot me an email or drop me a comment if you have any questions.

<lawyer> Oh, and also, as always: I'm not a trainer. I'm just sharing my workouts with you. Check with a doctor before beginning a new workout plan, etc. etc. BE CAREFUL. </lawyer>