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Empire’s Kick-Ass Treadmill Workout of the Week

Each week the Empire Tri Club will feature a Weekly Teadmill Workout that will kick your ass into serious shape.  Spice up your treadmill workouts by varying the speed and incline to significantly reduce boredom and give you the most bang for your buck.  You don’t need to spend countless hours at the gym to see results.  A high intensity 30-minute sweat session can fire up your metabolism and help you burn extra calories for several hours after your workout too!

This week’s workout:

Warm-up: Jog for 10 minutes slowly increasing your speed to a 10k race pace.

Main Set: Repeat this sequence 5 times:  (workout can be made longer by repeating 6, 7 or more times):

  • 2 min @ 5-6% Incline – at a challenging pace!
  • 1 min @ 0-1% Incline* – light jog (try and slow down only as much as you need to in order to recover for the next interval)

Cool down: 5 minute jog

Description:

  • For each 3 min interval, GO HARD!  Challenging effort (PE 7-8 out of 10 – see below!)**
  • For this workout you will be adjusting both the speed & the incline.  Every treadmill is slightly different so find out how to adjust the settings before you start.
  • As you reach the 1 min mark, see if you can increase the pace/incline slightly for the 2nd minute!  (you may want to start at 5% and move to 6% after the 1st minute, for example)

 

Incline for Treadmill Running *Because treadmill running is easier than outdoor running (since there’s no wind resistance), set the incline to 1% to better simulate outdoor running conditions.  If you’re new to treadmill running, you may want to start with a 0% incline and then gradually move up to 1%.

Perceived Exertion When exercising, it’s important to monitor your intensity to make sure that your pace/effort is appropriate for the workout you’re doing. One way to do that is to use a Perceived Exertion Scale.  In general, for most workouts you want to be at around Level 5-6. If you’re doing interval training, you want your recovery to be around a 4-5 and your intensity blasts to be at around 8-9.  As you’ll see below, working at a level 10 isn’t recommended for most workouts. For longer, slower workouts, keep your PE at Level 5 or lower.

  • Level 1: I’m watching TV and eating bon bons
  • Level 2: I’m comfortable and could maintain this pace all day long
  • Level 3: I’m still comfortable, but am breathing a bit harder
  • Level 4: I’m sweating a little, but feel good and can carry on a conversation effortlessly
  • Level 5: I’m just above comfortable, am sweating more and can still talk easily
  • Level 6: I can still talk, but am slightly breathless
  • Level 7: I can still talk, but I don’t really want to. I’m sweating like a pig
  • Level 8: I can grunt in response to your questions and can only keep this pace for a short time period
  • Level 9: I am probably going to die
  • Level 10: I am dead

 
References: About.com Perceived Exertion Scale

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Empire’s Kick-Ass Treadmill Workout of the Week

Each week the Empire Tri Club will feature a Weekly Teadmill Workout that will kick your ass into serious shape.  Spice up your treadmill workouts by varying the speed and incline to significantly reduce boredom and give you the most bang for your buck.  You don’t need to spend countless hours at the gym to see results.  A high intensity 30-minute sweat session can fire up your metabolism and help you burn extra calories for several hours after your workout too!

This week’s workout:

Warm-up: Jog for 10 minutes slowly increasing your speed to a 10k race pace.

Main Set: Intervals should be done at a pace that’s challenging!  Repeat this sequence 3 times:  (workout can be made longer by repeating 4, 5 or more times):

  • 1 min @ 3% Incline
  • 1 min @ 5% Incline
  • 1 min @ 7% Incline
  • 2 min easy jog @ 0-1% Incline

Cool down: 5 minute jog

 
Description:

  • For each 3 min interval, GO HARD!  Challenging effort (PE 7-9 out of 10 – see below!)**
  • For this workout you will be adjusting both the speed & the incline.  Every treadmill is slightly different so find out how to adjust the settings before you start.
  • As incline increases, try not to slow your pace. It will becoming more challenging!

 

Incline for Treadmill Running *Because treadmill running is easier than outdoor running (since there’s no wind resistance), set the incline to 1% to better simulate outdoor running conditions.  If you’re new to treadmill running, you may want to start with a 0% incline and then gradually move up to 1%.

 
Perceived Exertion When exercising, it’s important to monitor your intensity to make sure that your pace/effort is appropriate for the workout you’re doing. One way to do that is to use a Perceived Exertion Scale.  In general, for most workouts you want to be at around Level 5-6. If you’re doing interval training, you want your recovery to be around a 4-5 and your intensity blasts to be at around 8-9.  As you’ll see below, working at a level 10 isn’t recommended for most workouts. For longer, slower workouts, keep your PE at Level 5 or lower.

  • Level 1: I’m watching TV and eating bon bons
  • Level 2: I’m comfortable and could maintain this pace all day long
  • Level 3: I’m still comfortable, but am breathing a bit harder
  • Level 4: I’m sweating a little, but feel good and can carry on a conversation effortlessly
  • Level 5: I’m just above comfortable, am sweating more and can still talk easily
  • Level 6: I can still talk, but am slightly breathless
  • Level 7: I can still talk, but I don’t really want to. I’m sweating like a pig
  • Level 8: I can grunt in response to your questions and can only keep this pace for a short time period
  • Level 9: I am probably going to die
  • Level 10: I am dead


 

References: About.com Perceived Exertion Scale

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Empire’s Kick-Ass Treadmill Workout of the Week

Each week the Empire Tri Club will feature a Weekly Teadmill Workout that will kick your ass into serious shape.  Spice up your treadmill workouts by varying the speed and incline to significantly reduce boredom and give you the most bang for your buck.  You don’t need to spend countless hours at the gym to see results.  A high intensity 30-minute sweat session can fire up your metabolism and help you burn extra calories for several hours after your workout too!

This week’s workout:

Warm-up:   Jog for 10 minutes slowly increasing your speed to a 10k race pace.

Main Set:  Intervals should be done at a pace that’s between your 1 mile & 5k race pace.

  • 5 x 60-second sprints/15 seconds recovery
  • 2 min easy jog
  • 5x 45-second sprints/15-second recovery
  • 2 min easy jog
  • 5x 30-second sprints/15-second recovery
  • 2 min easy jog

Cool down:  5 minute jog

Description:

  • For the 5 min intervals, GO HARD!  Challenging effort (PE 8-9 out of 10 – see below!)**
  • Between each sprint, grab the handles of the treadmill and hop off.  Then when it’s time to repeat grab the handles, get your feet moving first then when you feel comfortable let go of the handles; If you have never done a sprint workout stick to lower repetitions.  Start off at a speed you can handle with good form and rhythm but challenges you a bit.   Increase the speed as you feel more comfortable to handle higher intensities.
  • For this workout keep the incline at 0-1% grade*
  • As intervals get shorter, try and go faster.

Incline for Treadmill Running *Because treadmill running is easier than outdoor running (since there’s no wind resistance), set the incline to 1% to better simulate outdoor running conditions.  If you’re new to treadmill running, you may want to start with a 0% incline and then gradually move up to 1%.

Perceived Exertion When exercising, it’s important to monitor your intensity to make sure that your pace/effort is appropriate for the workout you’re doing. One way to do that is to use a Perceived Exertion Scale.  In general, for most workouts you want to be at around Level 5-6. If you’re doing interval training, you want your recovery to be around a 4-5 and your intensity blasts to be at around 8-9.  As you’ll see below, working at a level 10 isn’t recommended for most workouts. For longer, slower workouts, keep your PE at Level 5 or lower.

  • Level 1: I’m watching TV and eating bon bons
  • Level 2: I’m comfortable and could maintain this pace all day long
  • Level 3: I’m still comfortable, but am breathing a bit harder
  • Level 4: I’m sweating a little, but feel good and can carry on a conversation effortlessly
  • Level 5: I’m just above comfortable, am sweating more and can still talk easily
  • Level 6: I can still talk, but am slightly breathless
  • Level 7: I can still talk, but I don’t really want to. I’m sweating like a pig
  • Level 8: I can grunt in response to your questions and can only keep this pace for a short time period
  • Level 9: I am probably going to die
  • Level 10: I am dead


References: About.com Perceived Exertion Scale

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Empire’s Kick-Ass Treadmill Workout of the Week

Each week the Empire Tri Club will feature a Weekly Teadmill Workout that will kick your ass into serious shape.  Spice up your treadmill workouts by varying the speed and incline to significantly reduce boredom and give you the most bang for your buck.  You don’t need to spend countless hours at the gym to see results.  A high intensity 30-minute sweat session can fire up your metabolism and help you burn extra calories for several hours after your workout too!

 

This week’s workout:

  • 5 minute Warm Up – brisk walk or easy jog
  • Main Set:
    • 4x 5 min FAST, 1 min recovery
  • 5 minute Cool Down – brisk walk or easy jog

 

Description:

  • For the 5 min intervals, GO HARD!  Challenging effort (PE 7-8 out of 10 – see below!)**
  • Active Recovery between each interval
  • As your fitness improves, you’ll be able to recover more quickly between intervals and without slowing your speed down quite as much.  Try and reduce your speed only as much as you need to in order to recover for the next interval!
  • For this workout keep the incline at 0-1% grade*

 

Incline for Treadmill Running *Because treadmill running is easier than outdoor running (since there’s no wind resistance), set the incline to 1% to better simulate outdoor running conditions.  If you’re new to treadmill running, you may want to start with a 0% incline and then gradually move up to 1%.

 

Perceived Exertion When exercising, it’s important to monitor your intensity to make sure that your pace/effort is appropriate for the workout you’re doing. One way to do that is to use a Perceived Exertion Scale.  In general, for most workouts you want to be at around Level 5-6. If you’re doing interval training, you want your recovery to be around a 4-5 and your intensity blasts to be at around 8-9.  As you’ll see below, working at a level 10 isn’t recommended for most workouts. For longer, slower workouts, keep your PE at Level 5 or lower.

  • Level 1: I’m watching TV and eating bon bons
  • Level 2: I’m comfortable and could maintain this pace all day long
  • Level 3: I’m still comfortable, but am breathing a bit harder
  • Level 4: I’m sweating a little, but feel good and can carry on a conversation effortlessly
  • Level 5: I’m just above comfortable, am sweating more and can still talk easily
  • Level 6: I can still talk, but am slightly breathless
  • Level 7: I can still talk, but I don’t really want to. I’m sweating like a pig
  • Level 8: I can grunt in response to your questions and can only keep this pace for a short time period
  • Level 9: I am probably going to die
  • Level 10: I am dead



References: About.com Perceived Exertion Scale

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9.5 Must Knows & Haves for the NYC Marathon

9.5 Must Knows & Haves for the NYC Marathon

By Alison Kreideweis

Empire Tri Club Co-Founder and Team For Kids Coach

  1. Warm “throw away” clothes for race morning. (NYRR will donate them to charity).  A plastic bag to shield the wind and sit on is also a good idea.
  2. Race Nutrition – Your favorite gels, blocks, chomps, etc.
  3. Good socks!  Blisters are annoying.  Especially for 26.2 miles.
  4. TP!  You’ll be waiting on Staten Island for hours.  You never know when toilet paper will run out with 40,000+ runners using the John.
  5. A hearty breakfast – You wake up before 5, your race starts at 9:40 or later.  Make sure you have enough fuel to keep you going strong!  If you don’t account for this long wait before the race, you could wind up hungry before the race even starts!
  6. Permanent marker & your team colors! – Sport your team gear so teammates can spot you on the course.  Write your name on your shirt (or piece of cloth pinned to your shirt if you don’t want it to be permanent) so spectators can cheer for you by name!
  7. Set your clocks back!  Don’t forget that daylight savings ends this weekend so set your clocks back 1 hour on Saturday night.
  8. Meeting spot- Coordinate where friends & fam will be cheering, and where you’ll reunite post-race.
  9. Bib & Chip!  Your most important items of the day.  Without these you won’t be able to race!  Pin to your shirt before leaving home to make sure you don’t forget!

And Finally…. 9.5      ½ Liter of beer to celebrate!  … (Step 9.5 may be repeated several times)

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Empire’s Kick-Ass Treadmill Workout of the Week

Each week the Empire Tri Club will feature a Weekly Teadmill Workout that will kick your ass into serious shape.  Beat off the holiday belly-bulge by hitting the gym, for a quick 30-minute high intensity treadmill workout!  Spice up your treadmill workouts by varying the speed and incline to significantly reduce boredom and give you the most bang for your buck.  You don’t need to spend countless hours at the gym to see results.  A high intensity 30-minute sweat session can fire up your metabolism and help you burn extra calories for several hours after your workout too! This week’s workout:

  • 5 minute Warm Up – brisk walk or easy jog
  • Speed Ladder:
    • 1 min ON, 1 min recovery
    • 2 min ON, 2 min recovery
    • 3 min ON, 3 min recovery
    • 4 min ON, 4 min recovery
    • 5 min ON, 5 min recovery (cool down)

Description:

  • ON = GO HARD!  Challenging effort (PE 8-9 out of 10 – see below!)**
  • Active Recovery between each interval
  • As your fitness improves, you’ll be able to recover more quickly between intervals and without slowing your speed down quite as much.  Try and reduce your speed only as much as you need to in order to recover for the next interval!
  • For this workout keep the incline at 0-1% grade*

Incline for Treadmill Running *Because treadmill running is easier than outdoor running (since there’s no wind resistance), set the incline to 1% to better simulate outdoor running conditions.  If you’re new to treadmill running, you may want to start with a 0% incline and then gradually move up to 1%.

 

Perceived Exertion When exercising, it’s important to monitor your intensity to make sure that your pace/effort is appropriate for the workout you’re doing. One way to do that is to use a Perceived Exertion Scale.  In general, for most workouts you want to be at around Level 5-6. If you’re doing interval training, you want your recovery to be around a 4-5 and your intensity blasts to be at around 8-9.  As you’ll see below, working at a level 10 isn’t recommended for most workouts. For longer, slower workouts, keep your PE at Level 5 or lower.

  • Level 1: I’m watching TV and eating bon bons
  • Level 2: I’m comfortable and could maintain this pace all day long
  • Level 3: I’m still comfortable, but am breathing a bit harder
  • Level 4: I’m sweating a little, but feel good and can carry on a conversation effortlessly
  • Level 5: I’m just above comfortable, am sweating more and can still talk easily
  • Level 6: I can still talk, but am slightly breathless
  • Level 7: I can still talk, but I don’t really want to. I’m sweating like a pig
  • Level 8: I can grunt in response to your questions and can only keep this pace for a short time period
  • Level 9: I am probably going to die
  • Level 10: I am dead

 
References: About.com Perceived Exertion Scale

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Empire’s Kick-Ass Treadmill Workout of the Week

Each week the Empire Tri Club will feature a Weekly Teadmill Workout that will kick your ass into serious shape.  Beat off the holiday belly-bulge by hitting the gym, for a quick 30-minute high intensity treadmill workout!  Spice up your treadmill workouts by varying the speed and incline to significantly reduce boredom and give you the most bang for your buck.  You don’t need to spend countless hours at the gym to see results.  A high intensity 30-minute sweat session can fire up your metabolism and help you burn extra calories for several hours after your workout too!

This week’s workout:

  • 5 minute Warm Up – brisk walk or easy jog
  • 7x 2 minute intervals with 1 minute recovery between each
  • 5 min Cool Down – brisk walk or easy jog

Description:

  • For each interval, push yourself at a challenging effort (PE 7-8 out of 10 – see below!)**
  • 1 minute Active Recovery between each- keep moving!  Just slow down your pace.
  • As your fitness improves, you’ll be able to recovery more quickly between intervals and without slowing your speed down quite as much.  Try and reduce your speed only as much as you need to in order to recover for the next interval!
  • For this workout keep the incline at 0-1% grade*

 

Incline for Treadmill Running

*Because treadmill running is easier than outdoor running (since there’s no wind resistance), you can set the incline to 1% to better simulate outdoor running conditions. If you’re used to running on the treadmill at no incline, running at a 1% incline may feel harder, but it will help ease your transition to outdoor running. Of course, if you’re totally new to running, you may want to start with a 0% incline and then gradually move up to 1%.

 

Perceived Exertion

When exercising, it’s important to monitor your intensity to make sure you’re working at a pace that is challenging enough to help you reach your goals, but not so hard that you blow a lung. One way to do that is to use a Perceived Exertion Scale.  In general, for most workouts you want to be at around Level 5-6. If you’re doing interval training, you want your recovery to be around a 4-5 and your intensity blasts to be at around 8-9.  As you’ll see below, working at a level 10 isn’t recommended for most workouts. For longer, slower workouts, keep your PE at Level 5 or lower.

  • Level 1: I’m watching TV and eating bon bons
  • Level 2: I’m comfortable and could maintain this pace all day long
  • Level 3: I’m still comfortable, but am breathing a bit harder
  • Level 4: I’m sweating a little, but feel good and can carry on a conversation effortlessly
  • Level 5: I’m just above comfortable, am sweating more and can still talk easily
  • Level 6: I can still talk, but am slightly breathless
  • Level 7: I can still talk, but I don’t really want to. I’m sweating like a pig
  • Level 8: I can grunt in response to your questions and can only keep this pace for a short time period
  • Level 9: I am probably going to die
  • Level 10: I am dead

 

 
References: About.com Perceived Exertion Scale

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10 tips to a successful NYC Marathon

 

10 Tips for a successful NYC Marathon!


The ING NYC Marathon is just 2 weeks away!  You’ve put in hundreds of miles, months of training, maybe a few massages, and far too many ice baths to remember… but the end is finally near!  In less than two weeks you’ll toe the line on the Verrazano with 40,000 runners from near and far to begin your journey through NYC’s 5 boroughs.

Now’s the time to make those final preparations for your race.  What you do in these last 2 weeks can be the difference between your best race and a not so great experience. We asked 5 coaches from the Empire Tri Club & New York Running Company for their advice about what you should do during these last 2 weeks to have your best race.  (With over a decade of experience and 50 marathons under their belt, might we add).  Here’s what we learned:

1. TAPER! Reduce your running volume, and increase recovery time between workouts. Don’t try to get that last 20 miler in!

2. Prep early! Make sure you have everything you need for race day well in advance. You don’t want to realize the night before your marathon that you left your favorite race shirt at the gym, or you ran out of energy gels that you planned to use for your race.

3. Cross Train – It’s OK to include low impact cross training activities such as yoga & swimming into your training – especially since you are tapering down your run mileage. However, this is NOT the time to try something totally new like a kickboxing or HIIT class! Save it for after the marathon so you don’t wind up sore or injured.

4. Sleep! It’s important that you get a good night sleep starting several days before the marathon. It will be hard to get a good night sleep the night before your race- especially since race nerves may kick in and you’ll be waking up very early. Bank an extra few hours on Thursday & Friday.

5. Nothing new on race day!! Stick to what you know and what you’ve practiced! This holds true for your clothing, nutrition, pre-race meal, etc.

6. Visualize your race – your successes as well as how you plan to deal with situations that could arise such as losing a gel or “hitting the wall”. Visualize how you will cope so you have a plan of action should you need one!

7. Map out how you’re getting to the race start & make note of any road closures, subway or bus changes! Plan ahead so you don’t stress on race day and leave plenty of extra time!

8. Dress in layers! You never know what race day weather conditions will be!

9. Pace yourself! The key to a successful marathon is to maintain a comfortable pace in the beginning. It’s easy to get wrapped up in the excitement and energy from the crowds and go out too fast, which you’ll pay for later on in the race.

10. Set your clocks back! Remember, daylight savings ends on Sunday, November 4th, so be sure to set your clocks back 1 hour before you go to bed on Saturday night!

Be sure to check out our calendar for more clinics and events. Visit our Facebook event page for more tips, spectator info, volunteer opportunities and a post-race celebration. Have a great race!

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Determining your heart rate (HR) zones for the bike or run

There are many ways to determine your heart rate zones. HR zones are important tool for gauging effort and incorporating this key indicator into any good training plan or workout.  Many Empire Triathlon workouts will reference these HR zones – so it’s important to know your zones!

The common and least effective is 220-age formula (with differences in the formula if you’re a female).  A more accurate way of calculating your HR zones is located in an article here.  I like Joel Friel’s method because it is simple to use and doesn’t require any special testing equipment. Once you calculate these zones, you can set your heart rate monitor to targets to see if you’re meeting your training requirements.  If you have a mid-high end heart rate monitor, it’ll be able to tell you the amount of time that you spent in any particular zone during the training session, and the minimum/average/highest HR achieved.

When conducting this test, either indoors or outdoors, it is very important to test under the same conditions.  For this reason, I like to do the run portion on a treadmill or a track (with a GPS watch) and the bike portion on a Computrainer – on any indoor trainer/bike. Make sure if you’re bike outdoors that you 1) have a bike computer and that you 2) choose a consistent route and this relatively flat.

Be sure to test every fourth week if you are following a training plan. That “recovery week” should also include consistent benchmark tests so see if your training plan is effective or not.

Be great!

Bob Leong, Empire Triathlon Club Ambassador

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Strava Club

Strava is an app that lets athletes all over the world experience social fitness—sharing, comparing and competing with each other’s personal fitness data via mobile and online apps. Currently focused on the needs of avid cyclists and runners, Strava lets you track your rides and runs via your iPhone, Android or dedicated GPS device to analyze and quantify your performance. Strava makes fitness a social experience, providing motivation and camaraderie even if you’re exercising alone.

Join the Empire Tri Club on Strava. Here are the club’s stats for the current week: