Get Faster And Fitter

Remember when you upgraded from 3G to 4G and that little extra speed turned out to be a life-altering experience? Well, take that theme and apply it to your legs. Picking up your run pace comes with huge benefits. One: it helps develop your fast-twitch muscle fibres, which increase your power and makes the mileage feel notably easier. Two: research shows speed training has a special knack for melting fat offmid-sections and these fat-burning effects last all day. And if you’re thinking “My knees! My knees!”, then consider point three: a quicker run can cut the stress on your joints by as much as 80 percent. Why? “You automatically take shorter steps, so there’s less impact,” explains Andy Curtis, a specialist sports injury physiotherapist. Adding just one speed-focused session to your weekly workout schedule is all it takes. So what’s stopping you, Caster?

1 INCORPORATE INTERVALS

GET THIS Study subjects who did a six-week sprint-interval programme improved their aerobic capacity by 8.7 percent, slashed body fat by eight percent and increased their peak speed by 4.8 percent. Alternating between intense bouts and recovery periods induces physiological changes that drive up your kilojoule burn as well as your VO2 max (how quickly you can bring in and utilise oxygen) for the next 24 hours. Bonus.

APPLY IT The treadmill can be the perfect tool for mastering intervals. “Outside, when you’re propelling your own pace, you may start to slow down unknowingly,” says Nate Vandervest, a running coach and strength and conditioning specialist. But the consistent movement of the belt allows you to maintain your speed. Try this easy, effective tread session on for size: run all out for 40 seconds, walk for a minute, run all out for 60 seconds, walk for a minute, then run all out for 80 seconds and walk for two minutes. Aim to do three rounds in total. Then hobble home.

2 GO DOWN HILL