10-Minute Plyometric Workout for Runners

By Matt Fitzgerald

You got home from work late. You were going to run for 45 minutes, but now you’ve only got 10 minutes before your best friend picks you up for dinner.

It’s 11:50 am. You’re in a hotel room. Checkout time is noon. It sure would be nice to have done some kind of workout before you head to the airport for a long flight home.

You’ve only got 10 minutes. What can you do?

First of all, you should do something. A lot of runners assume 10 minutes is not enough time to do anything that will make a difference to their running, but that’s not true. You can burn anywhere from 100 to 200 calories in 10 minutes of running. Do that 20 times a year instead of taking a day off because you “don’t have enough time” and you’ll prevent a pound of weight gain — or lose a pound.

Also, runners underestimate the degree to which every step they take counts as stride practice. Runners put too much stock in the metabolic element of running fitness and not enough in the neuromuscular aspect. A 10-minute run might not be long enough to stress your metabolic system and stimulate fitness improvement in that way, but it’s enough time to complete about 1,500 practice steps, which will help to refine your running coordination — and more than half of long-term improvements in running performance come from such refinements.

Finally, you can’t underestimate the mental benefits of 10 minutes of exercise. If you do that instead of nothing you will get a nice mood boost, ameliorate a bit of that cabin-fever feeling, and assuage some of the guilt of not exercising at all.

Okay, you’re convinced. You should do something. But what is the best possible use of 10 minutes for the runner? Without taking away from the value of 10 minutes of slow or fast running, I will argue that the best way to allocate 10 minutes is to perform a short plyometrics workout.

Plyometrics, or jumping exercise, is something that every runner should do and that most runners don’t do. Running is a form of jumping. Plyometrics isolates and exaggerates the jumping element in running and thereby improves running performance in a way that running itself does not. This is a proven fact. One study found that runners who replaced one-third of their normal running with plyometrics improved their race times, while runners who continued with their normal running schedule did not.

You might think that plyos improve running performance by increasing muscle power in the legs, but that appears not to be the case. Instead, plyos improve running performance by enhancing leg stiffness during running. The legs function as springs when you run. Each time a foot lands, the body sends impact forces into the ground; these forces then rebound back into the foot, propelling forward motion. About half of the energy required for running comes to us “free” from these physics. But not all of the energy that enters the ground comes back into the foot and is used for propulsion. A certain amount dissipates. The relative stiffness of the legs is one major factor that determine how much of the available free energy is captured and used. A runner who has nice, tight joints and is able to tense the right muscles to the right degree at the right time creates a stiffer spring that captures more energy. Plyometrics enhances this ability.

The great thing about plyos for runners is that it doesn’t take much to make a difference. Whereas 10 minutes is inarguably shorter than the ideal amount of time for any type of run, it’s plenty of time for a full plyometrics session. Here’s one:

10-Minute Plyometrics Workout

Warm up with 3 minutes of walking lunges, deep squats, and jumping jacks to prepare your legs for maximal-effort jumping.

Jump as high as you can off both feet. Repeat 20 times.

Rest one minute.

Assume a split stance (one foot a half-step ahead of the other), bend down, and jump as high as you can. In midair, reverse the positions of your legs and land in the new stance. Continue jumping and alternating your leg positions until you’ve competed 20 total jumps.

Rest one minute.

Stand on your right foot with your left knee bent and your left foot elevated. Bend down and jump as high as you can. Land on the same foot. Complete 10 total jumps and then do 10 more off the left foot.

Here is a “stroke” of good luck: there are ways you can reduce your risk for this disabling, life-threatening condition.

A STROKES KILL MORE THAN 150,000 AMERICANS EACH YEAR AND LEAVE MANY MORE DISABLED. They happen when the brain doesn’t get enough blood, either because an artery burst or a clot blocked the blood flow.

Some risk factors, such as getting older and being male, can’t be changed. But a new study in The Lancet found 10 that can— and together, they account for 90 percent of stroke risk. Here are the details:

1. High blood pressure. Stroke risk is four to six times higher in those with hypertension. One in three adults has high blood pressure. Get yours checked regularly.

2. Diabetes. High blood sugar damages blood vessels in the brain. People with diabetes have triple the stroke risk of those without the disease. Work with your doctor to manage your blood glucose.

3. Heart disease. A misshapen heart or irregular heartbeat could contribute to stroke. To treat your condition, your doctor might recom- mend surgery or medication.

4. Abnormal cholesterol. High levels of LDL or “bad” cholesterol and low levels of HDL or “good” cholesterol clog arteries. Have yours checked at least once every five years.

5. Waist-to-hip ratio. Being heavy contributes to all four of the previous risk factors. To maintain a healthy weight, balance the number of calories you eat with your physical activity level.

6. Unhealthy diet. Study partici- pants who ate a Mediterranean diet—rich in fish and fruits—had the lowest stroke risk. Load up on fruits, veggies, whole grains, and lean proteins.

7. Not exercising. Working out keeps your blood flowing and your heart strong. Aim for 30 minutes a day, five days a week. Even 10 minutes offers health benefits.

8. Smoking. All forms of tobacco can cause blockages in the artery leading to the brain. Nicotine also raises blood pressure and thickens the blood. Kick the habit and your stroke risk drops immediately.

9. Drinking alcohol. Binge drinking thins blood, increasing bleeding risk. Limit alcohol to one drink per day for women or two for men.

10. Stress. Constant psychological pressure may damage artery walls. To calm down, try positive self-talk. Don’t think, “I can’t do this.” Tell yourself, “I’ll do the best I can.” •

For up-to-the-minute news, myths and facts on stroke, prevention information, and more, visit the online home of the National Stroke Association at www.stroke.org.

IT’S COMMON KNOWLEDGE THAT REGULAR EXERCISE IS GOOD FOR YOUR BODY—BUT DID YOU KNOW THAT IT’S GOOD FOR YOURMIND,TOO? readonforsomeofthementalbenefitsofexercise.

A EXPERTS NOW KNOW THAT MOVING YOUR BODY IS ONE OF THE BEST MOOD BOOSTERS AROUND. Take this quiz to see how much you know about the mental benefits of exercise.

Multiple Benefits of Exercise

Please circle one answer for each question.

1. Evidence shows that exercise can produce the following results:

A. Prevent depressive symptoms

B. Treat major depression

C. Both A and B

2. How much do you need to exercise to improve your mood?

A. Work out daily for 16 weeks.

B. Make time for one session.

C. Exercise twice a week for 10 weeks.

3. Which is the best exercise for depression?

A. Aerobic activity B. Strength training C. Both A and B

Check Your Answers

1. C. Some evidence shows that exercise may prevent depressive symptoms in high-risk adults. Two studies found that exercise improved mood in college students who suffered from some depressive symptoms. Exercise also contributes to high self-esteem and positive feelings of well-being.

Research also suggests that, by itself, regular exercise can treat major depression as well as therapy and antidepressant medicine. Antidepressants brought a quicker response among patients. But exercise alone provided similar improvements with fewer side effects.

Exactly how exercise helps depression is unclear. Exercise may release mood-enhancing chemicals in the body, such as serotonin or beta-endorphins. Or exercise may improve other factors, such as boredom or sleep problems, which contribute to depression.

2. B. Even a single, 25-minute workout can improve your mood, the research says. But for the most mood-boosting benefits, you’ll need to exercise on a regular basis.

3. C. Aerobic exercise and strength training appear to offer similar benefits for treating and preventing depression. For example, one study of 40 depressed women found that running and weight lifting were almost equally effective for treating depression.

If you want to start an exercise program, follow these guidelines:

• Choose an activity you like, such as walking, jogging, or cycling.

• Start exercising slowly, even just a few minutes at a time if you are out of shape. Over time, build up to at least 30 minutes of moderate exercise most days of the week.

Make Fitness Part of Your Travel Plans

— By Zach Van Hart, Staff Writer SparkPeople

You may have read our article on easy exercises for when you are on vacation, but there is more to it than that. There are so many different vacations out there; exercise cannot be the same for each one. Would you exercise the same way on the beach as you would in the Smokey Mountains? Probably not, so here is some help for vacations at different places with different people.

Going to the beach seems to be a favorite of many. We know it’s so easy to just lie in the sand all day, sip margaritas, and forget about physical activity, but there is plenty of exercise you can do. First, there is the ocean. Swimming is possible, but fighting the waves, either with your body, boogie board or surf board, is great for working your core and your balance. If you go with family, especially kids, then playing games on the beach is great. Bring a baseball and glove, a football, a Frisbee, or anything else you can use to play a game. Clear out some room on the sand and enjoy.

Cruise ships are also great because most come equipped with a weight room. While these may not be as extensive as the gym you are used to at home, you can get the same complete workout as you would anyway. Take advantage of this. Also, cruise ships have pools, where you can do water exercises. To read about water workouts, click here.

Some vacations are exercise trips and no additional fitness routines are really needed. Good examples are skiing, hiking and whitewater rafting. Not only are these strenuous activities, but you usually spend all day doing them. You are getting all the exercise you need.

Another couple of vacations are either visiting a big city, like New York City or Chicago, or going to visit family or friends. A great way to exercise and take advantage of your surroundings is walking or running. Not only are you getting in good aerobic exercise, but you are taking in the sites of the city. If you are visiting family, maybe hop on a couple of bikes and let your host show you around the town.

Finally, how about getting to your vacation destination and back? Some of us spend an entire day either driving of flying to our destinations. Some of us even spend a couple of days getting there. Here are a few exercises you can try in the car or the plane, or at a rest stop:

• Stretching
• Use a stress/squeeze ball
• Crunches, how depending on your seating arrangement
• At a rest stop: pushups, jumping jacks, jumping jump rope, or sprints (should stretch beforehand)
• Calf raises, even if you are sitting
• Try using ankle weights or an exercise band.

Here are eight ways to help you lose those ten pounds that have been hanging around for way too long.  Remember, there are 3500 calories in a pound, you need to create a calorie budget and burn more than you are taking in.

Fitness and Nutrition

1. Switch from whole-milk products to skim-milk products
2. Reduce the use of butter and margarine
3. Use extra-lean ground beef, ground white meat chicken or ground white meat turkey
4. Switch from fried potato chips to the baked ones
5. Switch from 100-plus-calorie sandwich bread to the light whole-grain bread
6. Swap fruit juice for real fruit
7. Increase your exercise and work up to 500 calories a day
8. Remove the skin from a chicken breast after cooking and save 100 calories

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