The Fastest 2 minutes in the Gym
I'm a lifelong Louisvillian. Even during my stints in St. Louis and Dallas, there has never been any question to my roots. As we all know, people from outside of here think everything can be wrapped up into two simple stereotypes: bourbon and horse racing. Who I am I to disappoint? Here is my simple ode this year to the fastest 2 minute in sports.
It doesn't need to take long to work out. You can do amazing things if you push your body for brief amounts of time. This will also increase your capacity to do more. To avoid boring everyone on discussions of energy systems, and throwing a bunch of technical terms around, this is my advice for a quick workout: do what the horses do, and MOVE FAST!
You could run in a field, head up some stairs, use a treadmill or elliptical, or even lift weights faster. All of these things will get your heart rate up, and your blood pumping.
If you have the luxury of a heart rate monitor, you can go fast for 20 seconds, getting your heart rate up to about 90% of your maximum heart rate. Then rest until your heart rate settles to about 60% of your max heart rate, then repeat (if you don't have a heart rate monitor, check your pulse, or wait until you can talk without gasping for air).
For those who like algebra, you can use this formula to calculate your max heart rate: 205.8−[0.685 × Age] = Max Heart Rate.
These can be a great “finisher” for a workout. Or, when you feel confident, you can even repeat these a couple times in a row for a quick 10 to 15 minutes in the gym on those days where life is hectic.
Cardio Workout:
Suggested Exercises: Treadmill, Bike, Elliptical, or Running outside
Splits:
20 Seconds work
40 Seconds rest
20 Seconds work
40 Seconds rest
Resistance workout:
Suggested Exercises: Kettlebell Swings or Rope Swings
20 Swings
40 Seconds rest
20 Swings
40 Seconds rest
Do this a couple times to end a work out and you will feel the gains quickly. Don't push it too hard at first, though, until you know how your body will respond the next day. You don't want to get so sore that you can't come back and keep making progress.
photo credit: <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/boboroshi/13134960/">boboroshi</a> via <a href="http://photopin.com">photopin</a> <a href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/">cc</a>