One Exercise Everyone Should Be Doing
I hate to break it to you… But you’re only here for a finite amount of time. That is why you need to be smart about how you exercise and what method you choose to adopt.
1. It needs to work. Producing tangible results of athleticism. Increased strength, power and lean muscle mass, burning off stubborn fat and decreasing risk of disease and injury. Helping you to live longer interacting with the world around you.
Insanity is doing the same thing over and and over again and expecting different results. If it’s working, the results should be amazing.
2. It needs to work efficiently. I can’t afford to invest hour upon hour every week in the pursuit of ultimate fitness. My fitness has to fit around my limited time. It will be a sacrifice but not an overriding one.
3. It needs to be fun (ish). It upsets me when exercise has become a chore for people, something you begrudgingly complete. I’m not always super excited to workout, but if I felt that way every session, something needs to change.
Here is one of the movements I use every week that puts a tick in each of those boxes. Anyone can do this and should do it.
Hill Sprints.
Like walking and squatting, sprinting is as natural as it gets. We just have an unnatural environment where we don’t need to sprint anymore. We have been doing this since the beginning of time, it’s hard wired into us. See those sprinters you watch, while you’re sitting down (eating your crisps), they don’t get their physique and solid abs from sit ups… It’s from sprinting.
I prefer using a hill because of the added intensity and reduced impact on the body.
I challenge you to try this once to twice a week for 6 weeks. Tell me if you don’t notice a difference in your performance!
This is how it works for me:
1. Blast out some dynamic warm-ups including running drills.
2. Jog down Road to scary big Hill. Set a 25m – 100m distance depending on ability.
3. Sprint flat out up scary big Hill with walk back recovery. Lungs burning. Dog walkers staring. Repeat 5-10 times.
4. Exhilarating jog home.
5. Mobilising (target those calves!).
This session only takes about 30min. Even the prime minister could diary that in.
What if…
…it’s raining? Man up. Or try it on an incline treadmill. Or on a smaller scale, using some stairs.
…I’m unfit? Your sprinting max effort equivalent may be brisk walking up a hill. Give that a go.
Let me know how you get on. If you’re new to max effort work, start steady and ease into the intensity. Have fun (ish)!
Dorchester personal trainer - Dave Wall - www.dorchesterpersonaltraining.co.uk
