Although the Holiday Season is over, there are plenty of opportunities coming up for the weekend warrior to gorge themselves at. The Superbowl is right around the corner, playoff games are going on, and the comfort food, meat-filled snacks, and frosty beverages will flow freely. This can cause unwanted weight gain as well as mentally sidetracking an athlete with feelings of guilt and regret. Complete one of the two workouts below before settling into your favorite couch or armchair for the game, and watch the calories and guilt drift away.
The first is a hill workout for the runners. After completing a 10-15 minute warm-up, find a hill which will take approximately 3 to 5 minutes to run up. Beginning at the bottom of the hill, maintain a steady pace until you reach the top. Once at the top, drop down and do a maximum set of push-ups. Quickly get up from the push-up position and immediately jog down the hill, allowing your heart rate to drop slightly. Repeat this 3 to 4 times while increasing the intensity of each subsequent run up the hill: The first run should be moderate and the last run should be extremely hard. After the final hill repeat, complete an easy 5 minute warm-down and stretch.
The second workout is a stationary bike workout for the cyclists. Find a stationary bike (or mount your bike on a trainer) and complete a 10 minute warm-up. After the warm-up, complete 4 minutes at a moderately hard pace. Immediately step off the bike and complete 20 squats, using the bike seat for balance. Hop back on the bike and spin easily for 2 minutes. Complete a 3 minute hard effort, then hop off the bike and complete 20 squats. Re-mount the bike and spin easily for 2 minutes. Complete a 2 minute very hard effort, then hop off the bike and complete 20 squats. Re-mount the bike and spin for 2 minutes. Complete a 1 minute all-out effort, then immediately hop off the bike and complete as many squats as you can. Re-mount the bike and spin easily for 5 to 10 minutes.
Each of these workouts should take less than an hour to complete. While they may be challenging, the results and calorie-burn will keep going many hours after completion. This way that extra serving of cheese dip and chips during the game won't go to your belly or your head. Happy training!
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