Perfect 30-minute Workouts

Everybody wants a fast and effective training formula to become fitter, faster runners, but can you achieve that with just three identical 30-minute workouts each week. Amby Burfoot strapped on his heart-rate monitor and his shoes to find out – and came up with three great workouts too!
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One of the biggest success stories in recent years in the USA has been the Curves Fitness Gyms for Women. The chain of gyms now has over 8000 branches, and is still growing. I'm sure there are many reasons behind the Curves success story, but I bet one towers above the rest: The promise that you can get and stay in shape with just three identical 30-minute workouts a week.

I'm not generally a believer in “Ultimate Simplicity as the Solution to Everything,” but it has an undeniable appeal in our overweight, overstressed, under-exercising world. And the Curves formula appears to actually work. The Curves people have collected plenty of testimonials from happy customers, and they scientific proof as well that their programme helps women lose weight, especially hip and waist fat, by boosting their metabolic rate.

Recently, after deciding that we runners need a similar programme, I contacted a couple of coaches and sports scientists and gave them this assignment: Construct a training plan that requires just one 30-minute workout that is repeated three times a week. I even came up with one on my own.

Below, you'll find the three workouts we devised. I tested each of them on a treadmill (for pace accuracy) while wearing a heart-rate monitor. All three are tough, and any of the three will work great the next time you've only got 30 minutes to spare.

THE FURMAN TOTAL FITNESS 30
This workout comes from the brains trust behind the Furman Institute of Running & Scientific Training, Bill Pierce and Ray Moss. Pierce is a runner in his mid-50s who still churns out 3:10 marathons on just three running workouts a week.

Of course, Pierce does long, nasty, killer workouts, not the kind demanded by the Curves assignment. So he balks, protesting that "you can't shortcut things to death, yada, yada,” before he and Moss come up with a nice mix of running, strengthening and stretching.

1. Start with 5 minutes of callisthenics: 25 to 50 push-ups, 10 pull-ups, 25 to 50 crunches, and 10 lunges with each leg.
2. Run 5 minutes very easy to warm up.
3. Run 15 minutes at about your 10-K race pace.
4. Finish with 5 minutes of cool-down, plus stretching of the calf muscles, hamstrings and quads.

"I've designed this programme for total fitness and running performance," says Pierce. "Too many runners neglect muscular strength and flexibility, and get injured as a result. The lunges help you run smoother. To get enough intensity from the 15-minute run, you have to get your heart rate up to 85 to 95 percent of maximum. That's about your 10-K race pace."

Author's Note: I did my five minutes of calisthenics in the bushes behind the gym, where no one would see me collapse after single-digit push-ups and pull-ups. The running went better, though I found the 15 minutes at 10-K pace rather monotonous. My heart-rate climbed to 159, about 88 percent of my maximum.

THE PROGRESSIVE ACCELERATION 30
If exercise physiologist Jack Daniels worked for an automotive company, he'd be the guy building a car that gives you great performance and great gas mileage at the same time. In his coaching of runners, Daniels, author of the bestselling Daniels Running Formula, aims to produce the best results with the least effort.

Given his background, Daniels doesn't flinch when I lay the Curves assignment on him. He quickly comes up with a workout that's varied, innovative and easy to tailor to your individual needs. One day, you feel tired, you ease off. Another day, you feel like a Jungle Oats champion, and you bust a gut.

1. Run an easy 6-minute warm-up.
2. Do eight 30-second pick-ups with a 60-second jog after each. Run the pick-ups at about your 5-K race pace. After the last 60-second jog, you will have been running for 18 minutes.
3. Do a 10-minute acceleration run, starting after your last 60-second jog (above). Do the first 2 minutes at half marathon pace, then increase your pace by about 15 seconds per kilometre every 2 minutes. By minutes 7 and 8, you should be running close to your 5-K race pace. The last 2 minutes, you'll be going even faster, which you'll recognise by the tongue hanging from your mouth.
4. Finish with a 2-minute cool-down.

"The pick-ups should be quick but comfortable," says Daniels. "They only last 30 seconds, so you're not running long enough for them to get hard. And the 10-minute acceleration run is a subjective effort. As you get fitter, you'll run faster. I'm sure this workout could lead to decent performances in the 5-K and even the 10-K."

Author's Note: I enjoyed this workout, perhaps because I was changing pace and had to do a certain amount of maths in my head (which might not be attractive to everyone). The last two minutes of the acceleration were hard, but not so bad, because of the gradually increasing pace. I was surprised that my heart-rate soared to 169, about 94 percent of my max, near the end of the 10-minute run.

THE ONE-MILE THREEPEAT 30
I began thinking about the Curves challenge at about the same time that I started training for my first serious (extremely relative term) triathlon. Before long, the two merged. To add swim and bicycle training, I cut back on my running, but still wanted to maintain quality. Hence, a solid 30-minute session had a lot of appeal.

It also made sense that I should simulate running workouts that started at a modest pace, and then got faster and faster. In my triathlon, that's what would happen (I hoped) after I finished cycling and began running.

So I came up with a mile-repeat workout that utilises the paces of three of the most popular road-racing distances: the half marathon, the 10km and the 5km. You can squeeze this workout into 30 minutes, and at the same time train for three real-life road-racing distances.

1. Jog 2 minutes.
2. Run 1 mile (or 1.6km) at your half marathon pace. Walk or jog 2 minutes.
3. Run 1 mile (or 1.6km) at your 10km race pace. Walk or jog 2 minutes.
4. Run 1 mile (1.6km) at your 5km race pace.

If you can run a half marathon in two hours, this workout will take you almost exactly 30 minutes. If you're faster than that, the workout will take less time, so do a longer warm-up and cool-down. If you're slower, skip the walk/jogs, and run continuously from one mile repeat to the next. I did this one day, and felt masochistically marvellous.