RUN LIKE A PRO
On the other hand, research shows that shedding the pounds (fat, not muscle) can help runners shave time off the clock — cutting an average of 2.4 seconds off your mile time for every pound you lose.
Of course, not everyone has the weight to lose, so remember to consult a physician before starting any weight loss program.
Look ahead
Looking down at your feet or turning your head to check out the competition can waste precious time. Instead, focus on what’s directly in front of you — about 10 to 20 meters in the distance — and keep those eyes on the prize.
Go for a spin
Indoor cycling gives your hips a workout while forcing your legs to get comfortable moving from slow leisurely rides to all-out sprints. The same goes for running. So, hop on a bike and get ready for some cross-training.
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Pay attention to your toes
The whole body plays a role in speed — from your head to your toes! Try dorsiflexion (arching your toes up toward you shins) while running. That way less of your foot hits the ground for a quicker stride turnover.
Keep it steady
Slow and steady may win the race, but fast and steady builds speed! A tempo run (30 seconds slower than your 5K pace) challenges runners to find a “comfortably hard” speed and hold it for a 20-minute period. Just don’t burn out before the run is over like that silly little hare!
Drink coffee
Turns out, drinking caffeine before running may increase athletic performance even in low doses, though more research needs to be done in this area. Trusted Source More good news? It’s a totally legal performance enhancer.
Do mountain climbers
Here’s how to do the exercise: Start in a plank position and engage your core. Run your knees straight up toward your chest, alternating between right and left legs. The combo of moving your feet quickly while assuming a plank position will make you crazy fast.
Try yoga
Get a leg up on fellow runners by adding yoga to your training plan. A 2016 study on male college athletes showed that twice-weekly yoga sessions increased flexibility in the joints and improved balance in ten weeks.
Get enough shut-eye
Studies show well-rested athletes have better reaction times and clock faster finishes. Trusted Source
And think about it — the faster you run, the more time you have to kick back and relax!
Strip down
When it’s finally race day, take it off! The extra layers and fuel belts, that is. The less clothing and gear on your body, the faster your time — which is why the pros practically get right down to their skivvies to run.
A Guide to Developing the Self-Discipline Habit
One of the most important life skills to develop, for those just starting out in life (and everyone else!), is the skill of self-discipline.
It’s like a superpower: when I developed some self-discipline, I started exercising and eating healthier and meditating and writing more,
I quit smoking and ran marathons, I started a blog and wrote books, I read more and work earlier, I decluttered and transformed my finances. I’m far from perfect, but I’ve learned a lot.
But if you don’t develop self-discipline, it causes problems: health problems, distraction, procrastination, financial problems, clutter, things piling up and overwhelming you, and much more.
So it’s such an important skill to develop, but most people don’t know where to start. This guide is aimed at helping you get started.
I’m writing it for my kids, and for anyone else who would like to develop a superpower.
Finding Motivation
The first question is, how do you even get motivated to start? Most of us don’t want to think about our lack of discipline, let alone take a bunch of actions.
For me, the motivation came from realizing that what I was doing wasn’t working. Ignoring the problems only made things worse.
Trying to be disciplined but doing it half-assedly only resulted in me feeling bad about myself. Being wholly undisciplined was causing myself a bunch of pain.
Once you realize that you’re causing yourself pain … you might develop a whole-hearted intention to stop hurting yourself. You might say, “OK, that’s enough with making my life worse. Let’s try to make it less worse.”
With that in mind, you can tell yourself that you are going to:
Start taking small actions to make things better
Do the things that hurt you less
Push yourself into discomfort a little bit, so you can get better at this over time
Get good at self-discipline with some practice
Keep these things in mind as you practice, as you get the urge to not practice, and as you make mistakes and then want to give up.
There are other good motivations as well:
Wanting to help others — if you get better at exercise or healthy eating, for example, you can help your aging parents who need to get better at these things.
If you get better at not procrastinating on your life’s work, you can help more people with that meaningful work. More on this below, in the “Focus on Others” section.
Appreciating life — we have a short time here on Earth, and the life we have is a gift. When we procrastinate and give in to endless distraction, and don’t make the most of our time, we are not fully appreciating the gift we have.
Instead, we can appreciate it by being present, being grateful, and being purposeful about how we spend our time.
With these motivations — or whatever motivations move you the most — we can start to practice.
Small Actions
One of the most important things you can do to get better at self-discipline is to take small actions. It can seem overwhelming to tackle huge, intimidating projects … so don’t. Instead, tackle easy actions, things so small you can’t say no.
Have some taxes to do? Just do 5 minutes. Want to run? Just run for 10 minutes. Have a report to work on? Just do the first few paragraphs. Want to declutter? Just find 5 things to declutter.
You’ll get better at self-discipline if you focus on small tasks, and break bigger projects into small tasks
Discomfort Training
One of the reasons we don’t have self-discipline is because we run from the hard, uncomfortable things. We would rather do the easy, comfortable, familiar things.
So instead of facing our hard, uncomfortable projects or finances, we run to distractions, videos, games. This running from discomfort is ruining our lives.
What you can tell yourself is that you’re done running. You are going to push into discomfort, a little at a time, and get good at being uncomfortable. This is another of your superpowers. When others run, you’re OK (even if it’s not always fun).
One small task at a time, push yourself into discomfort. See how it feels. See that it’s not the end of the world. See that you are awesome enough to handle discomfort, and that the results are well worth it.
Mindfulness with Urges
You’ll have the urge to quit doing something hard, or to put it off for now. Those urges don’t serve you well.
Instead, develop mindfulness around those urges, and see that you don’t have to follow them.
A good way to do that is to set a time for yourself where you can do nothing but X. For example, for the next 10 minutes, you can do nothing but write your book chapter (or exercise, meditate, etc.).
When you have the urge to procrastinate or run to distractions, you’ll easily see it, because you’re either writing the book, or you’re not.
When you have the urge, tell yourself you can’t follow it, you have to either write your book chapter or sit there and do nothing.
Raymond Chandler used that as his simple writing system: “Write or nothing. I find it works. Two very simple rules, a. you don’t have to write. b. you can’t do anything else.”
The reason it works is that you are setting up a time where you do nothing else but that one specified task, and you can see your urges to run away. Use this to learn to be mindful of your urges, and see that you don’t have to follow them.
Interval Training
If you combine the above items into a system of bursts, or intervals, you can train yourself using interval training:
Set your intention to practice self-discipline and not hurt yourself anymore.
Set a task to focus on (writing, drawing, strength training, meditating, etc).
Set a timer for 10 minutes. Five minutes is also fine if 10 is too long. Don’t go longer until you get good at 10 minutes, then increase to 12 and eventually 15. I don’t find I need to go beyond 15-20 minutes even when I’m kicking butt.
Do nothing but sit there and watch your urges, or push into your discomfort by doing the task.
When the timer goes off, give yourself a 5-minute break.
Repeat.
You can train for several intervals, or potentially for an hour or two. Then take a longer break, and do another set of intervals after that.
This kind of interval training is fantastic, because it’s not that hard, you really train yourself in discomfort and watching urges, and you can get a lot done this way.
Victories in Success & Failure
A huge mistake that a lot of people make is that they mess up, and get discouraged by this. They feel bad about messing up. This causes them to give up and not want to think about developing self-discipline.
Here’s the thing: failure is actually a victory.
Failure means you tried. So it’s a victory from the start.
But it also means you learned something — you now know that what you tried didn’t quite work. Next time, you can try something a bit different.
Add more accountability, try it at a different time, unplug your wireless router, get a workout partner, anything. Because of your failure, you have new information. You’ve learned, and that helps you get better.
Failure is a victory. Success is also a victory. No matter what your result, you can see it as an opportunity to learn, to grow, to get better.
Drop any ideas of being perfect at this, and just keep trying.
The next time you fail at whatever you’re trying, instead of letting it get you discouraged, see it as a victory. Then keep going, no matter what, because giving up is only going to hurt you some more.
Chapter 3: Physical Training
There are other programs out there designed to help one develop a six-pack set of abs. Without exception, every single program out there has this paramount flaw _ the complete absence of mental conditioning.
Again, people do not fail because of lack knowledge of what to do; rather, they fail because they lack the consistent self-discipline to make themselves follow-through on the program.
First things first. Let’s delve into the indispensable basics.
Here is what you need to repeat to yourself a dozen times; until, it becomes firmly nailed into the deepest recesses of your memory.
To sculpt your abdominal muscles into ripped chunks of steel, you must first be in normal weight. If you are underweight, forget it.
If you are morbidly obese, forget it. This program is neither designed for underweight nor obese people. If you are overweight, you must first lose weight.
It is necessary to be in normal weight to sculpt your midsection. There is not short-cut around it.
What is normal weight?
You are in normal weight, if your BMI (Body Mass Index) ranges from 18.5 to 24.9. Your BMI is calculated by dividing your weight in kilograms by your height in metres.
Take the answer you get and divide it again by your height, still in metres.
Underweight = BMI less than 18.5
Normal Weight = BMI between 18.5 and 24.9
Overweight = BMI between 25 and 29.9
Obesity = BMI of 30 or greater
Attaining Normal Weight
Shaping up is quite easy, once you develop the right keystone habits. All that’s necessary is to burn more calories than you consume.
You must do this consistently over a sustained period. Things have changed drastically. We live in a completely different world from the one our parents lived in.
We are in the fast-paced era of instant-gratification. People want what they want. And they want it now. They want to see the desired results yesterday.
They want to see immediate signs of weight lose; so, after a week of training, they start examining the rolls in their midsection with impatient disgust.
What follows next is the most common mistake in fitness training. They go for overkill, piling on the crunches; and before long, they are averaging 200 crunches per session.
You name it! They are into it! Bicycle crunches, twisted crunches, oblique crunches, vertical leg crunches, reversed crunches, raised crunches, just name it and you bet, they are into it.
Another week slips by and their muffin-top is still rolling over their waistline. Their flat-stomach objective eludes them.
The rock-solid abs, they crave, is nowhere within grasp. Where is the mystery, here? There isn’t any.
Don’t be one of those guys!
The common fitness mistake, they are making, is called spot training or spot reduction. Spot reduction is the seductive idea, that you can target a single muscle group without affecting any other.
This myth persists because people want it to be true. Don’t you just wish you could sculpt your abs by performing a rare mix of carefully formulated crunches?
Who doesn’t? Who does not wish to bypass strenuous hours of cardio? Who does not wish the infomercials were telling the truth?
That dispensing with your hard-earned cash for the latest electronic waist-belt is the only effort required to sculpt your midsection.
This is anatomically impossible. The overwhelming scientific evidence demonstrates that muscle definition is only attained through a balance mix of weight loss and muscle growth.
In the first instance, we are going to focus on fat loss. In the process, you will end up acquiring a flat stomach.
You can increase the size of your transverse muscles by two to three inches. This is going to be accomplished in two main stages.
1) Get into normal weight
2) Perform explosive cardio to sculpt your torso
How to lose Weight
Expend more calories than you consume. Every day, you must burn more calories than you consume.
There is no other way around it. Do not be dazzled by the scientific-sounding verbiage of gurus, who tell you that “you must create a calorific deficit.”
We shall stick with plain English. To lose weight, you must burn more calories than you consume.
If you are already in normal weight; then, this “how to lose weight” section is superfluous. Skip it, and go straight to the section on abdominal exercises.
Notice! I did not summon you to consume less calories. The focus is on expenditure, not on consumption.
Any so-called expert, who tells you to decrease your calorie-intake; does not know, what, he is talking about. Make no attempts to starve yourself.
The debate on the effectiveness of starvation diets was put to rest in the mid-2000s. We now have scientific proof, that, starvation diets do not work. On the contrary, they will end up making you fatter.
Extra calories are burnt through strenuous exercise. No short-cuts allowed.
Short-cuts are prohibited because they do not work. High-tech gadgets will not make you fit. Ignore all those gadgets on late night infomercials.
The idea, that electronic vibrator-belts can give you lean abs, is complete fantasy. Abs gadgets do not work.
Most of the gadgets being promoted on daytime TV Channels are simply scams to extricate your hard-earned money.
What works?
Intermittent sessions of high intensity aerobic exercises.
To lose weight, you need three aerobic exercises:
-Sprinting
-Swimming
-Cycling
All other exercises are superfluous. This does not mean; that, they are useless. You can certainly lose weight by dancing zumba, cha-cha, samba, etc.
You can lose weight playing football, volleyball, basketball, tennis, etc. The obvious problem with team sport, is that, you cannot practice it; unless, your schedule coincides with that of several other people.
For this reason, team sports are not considered in this program. Good for you, if you happen to be a member of a sports-club; but, the overwhelming majority of people are not.
For the most part, your weight lose journey is going to be an individual endeavor. Self-reliance is the order of the day. So, let’s get straight to it. Shall we!
Sprinting is the most effective aerobic exercise. To sprint, you do not need a swimming pool. You do not need a bike.
You do not need a cardio heart rate monitor. You only need a pair of sneakers. Sprinting is both cheap and practical; except of course, for women with big breasts.
If you have big breast, sprinting and even jogging will cause your breasts to sag. For big-breasted women, swimming and cycling are preferable to sprinting.
For the rest of this program, I’ll assume you have normal sized breasts. Sprinting is not for everyone. Before, you go sprinting, you need to verify, if you are fit to sprint or not.
How to Sprint
In order to sprint effectively, you need to be able to measure your heart-rate. At rest, the heart rate of an athlete ranges from 40 to 70beats per minute.
If your heart rate at rest is above 100beats per minute, see your doctor before you go sprinting. You might be suffering from tachycardia.
Tachycardia is a heart disorder, in which, while at rest; your heart is beating faster than the normal and healthy rate.
If your heart rate is below 40beats per minute, see your doctor also. You might be suffering from bradycardia.
Bradycardia is a heart disorder, in which, while at rest; your heart is beating slower than the normal and healthy rate.
How to Measure Your Heart-rate
Place your index and middle finger on your neck, close to your windpipe. Count the number of beats within a 15seconds time-span.
What is a beat? A beat is the pulse of blood, which you feel, flowing through your veins. Multiply the number of beats by 4. The result is your heart rate.
No hi-tech gadget is required to measure your heart-rate. A simple wrist watch is amply sufficient.
The purpose of measuring your heart rate is to rule out any cardiovascular problems. Sprinting is not for everyone.
Sprinting is not for you, if you have a cardiovascular condition. Any heart rate between 40 to 100beats means that you are healthy enough to sprint.
How is sprinting done?
Every exercise has 3phases. It does not matter, if you are sprinting, jogging, swimming, cycling, squatting, etc. Every workout must be comprised of 3phases.
-Warm Up Phase
-Training Phase
-Cool Down Phase
Warm Up Phase
Before you start sprinting, spend 5minutes jogging. This is extremely important to prevent injuries. By initially jogging slowly, your heart rate will gradually climb to the new rhythm.
Your blood circulation will increase and your joints will loosen; thus preventing injury. Never bypass the warm-up phase.
At age 16, Arnold Schwarzenegger severely injured his neck and upper back because he bypassed his warm-up.
His neck and back injuries caused him excruciating pain, which lasted for weeks. When he later recounted the incident at a Texas bodybuilding summit, he said “basic everyday movements felt like walking on red hot coal.
One does not need to learn such a lesson twice.” Ever since, he has never missed his 5minutes warm-up before training.
Training
-Sprint for 10minutes!
Recover for 1minute by jogging slowly!
-Sprint for another 10minutes!
Recover for 1minute by jogging slowly!
-Sprint again for another 10minutes!
This is called interval training.
Your interval training will be comprised of 3sessions of 10minutes sprinting. The proper training lasts just 32minutes. After the third sprint, cool down by walking.
People love to complicate things. Unnecessary complication probably flatters their ego. It probably gives them an air of sophistication.
The more complicated your exercise is, the more difficult it would be to implement. Complicated exercises will likely result in failure. Keep everything simple.
Simplicity is the key to effectiveness. The simpler the exercises are, the easier it is to execute; and in so doing, you are guaranteed to get results.
When you go sprinting, do not strap any kind of EKG across your chest! EKG stands for electrocardiogram. What additional value does an EKG device offer? None. It offers no additional value.
It does not make you more sophisticated. On the contrary, it makes you look stupid. Do not take any fancy heart rate monitor along with you.
There are millions of extremely fit athletes across the world; who never use these gadgets. These gadgets only serve one purpose. They put money in the pockets of sleek marketers.
When you initially start training, the only device you need is a wrist watch with a start/stop timer. You need it to determine the 10minutes sprinting stretch and the 1minute recovery stretch.
After a few months of training, you’ll no longer need it because you’ll be able to determine the 10minutes stretch by the distance which, you have covered.
Sprint by accelerating to your maximum speed possible. When you believe, that you have reached your maximum speed, force yourself to push past it.
By forcing yourself to push past your limit, you will actually maintain terminal velocity.
You’ll know you are sprinting correctly, when you can sense a thread of blood throbbing at the back of your throat. You must push yourself to an exertion level of 100%. Anything less is tantamount to self-cheating.