5k Training Program

Week 2 | Day 10

Strength,
Agility &
Power

Time: 30 - 45 minutes.
“Yesterday I was clever, so I wanted to change the world. Today I am wise, so I am changing myself.” – Rumi

Another week older, another week wiser, and another week closer to your 5k race.

We’ll revisit last week’s workout, but we’ll challenge you a little and increase the number of reps in the ladders. If you feel like that’s too much of a challenge, stay with last week’s reps. Be sure to focus on proper exercise form and use alternatives if the base form is too difficult.

Strength work can be grueling, there’s no escaping that. It might take many a lot longer than 30 to 45 minutes to get through it. Pace yourself and persevere. Strength pays dividends in the long run – you run with less fatigue for longer periods of time when your muscles are strong.

This is hard work, and your muscles are going to be sore afterward. Be sure to pay attention to the Mobility section. Make sure you hydrate well, eat well and get to bed early tonight. You’re going to need your recovery sleep.

Choose A Training Week
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Workout

  • Running Warm Up (optional)

    You may be looking for a way to get in a few more miles during a training week, and this optional run before a strength workout is a safe and sane way of doing just that. It won’t be for everyone, and you don’t need to do it every week. Pay attention to how well your body is recovering day-to-day before deciding to add more mileage.

    If you choose to do this optional run, run easy for about 5 minutes, then stop and do some air squats, leg swings, and hip circles before finishing this warm up. Your body will thank you.

    Duration:

    Beginner: 10 minutes
    Intermediate: 10 – 20 minutes
    Advanced: 20 – 30 minutes

    Instructions:

    All Levels: Easy Run

    Effort Level:

    All Levels: RPE 3 out of 10

  • Dynamic Warm Up

    60 seconds Jumping Jacks
    10 Boot Strappers
    20 Plank Shifts
    20 Leg Swings per side
    15 Arm Circles forward and backward

  • Main Set: Ladder Workout

    If there’s any secret to surviving and thriving with ladder workouts, it’s pacing. Don’t go fast and hard on the first rung. Give an even effort throughout and you’ll be readier for the next set.

    We said last week that these would get easier once you got the hang of them. Well, they’re only easier in the sense that understanding how they work makes focusing on the pain that much easier. We’re raising the stakes a bit this week, adding more intervals to each rung of the ladder. Today we’re doing a 15-12-9-6-3 ladder.

    If this seems too daunting, do last week’s ladder of 10-8-6-4-2.

    To recap last week’s primer, a ladder is a type of repetitive workout where the number of times you perform a group of exercises changes as you ‘step’ down the ladder. We still generously give you three groups of exercises and give you a 60-second to 90-second break between ladders.

    On the first ‘rung’ of the ladder, you perform 15 reps of each of the three exercises in Group One. Then you step down a rung in the ladder and do 12 reps of each of the three Group One exercises. You continue down the ladder performing 9 reps, then 6 reps and finally 3 reps of each of the three Group One exercises. Since you’re stronger than you were last week, collapsing in a heap on the floor is optional. Take your 90-second break.

    Once you’re ready to go again, climb onto ladder two and repeat the same sequence as before, but use Group Two’s exercises instead of Group One’s. You’ll like the second group better. Coach Holly’s still the nice one, but she IS the one doing burpees. So maybe Coach Nate’s not so bad. When you’re done, take your second 60-second to 90-second break. Into-a-heap collapsing is now OK.

    Because we know you love all of the pains, there’s one final ladder of only two exercises. It will seem like a holiday compared to the first two sets. Not really, but maybe. Peel your panting self off the floor and soldier on by kicking ass on the Group Three exercises!

    Group One with Coach Nate:
    Alternating Lunges, Mountain Climbers and Bicycles

    Alternating Lunges

    Mountain Climbers

    Bicycles

    Group Two with Coach Holly:
    Push Ups, Burpee Broad Jumps, and Sit Ups

    Push Up to Downward Dog with a Shin Tap

    Burpee Broad Jumps

    Sit Ups

    Group Three with Coach Nate:
    Single Leg Hops and Glute Bridge March

    Single Leg Hops

    Glute Bridge March

    Still confused about ladders? Don’t worry, we’ll provide a more detailed example.

    Start

    Do 15 Alternating Lunges
    Do 15 Mountain Climbers
    Do 15 Bicycles

    Do 12 Alternating Lunges
    Do 12 Mountain Climbers
    Do 12 Bicycles

    Do 9 Alternating Lunges
    Do 9 Mountain Climbers
    Do 9 Bicycles

    Do 6 Alternating Lunges
    Do 6 Mountain Climbers
    Do 6 Bicycles

    Do 3 Alternating Lunges
    Do 3 Mountain Climbers
    Do 3 Bicycles

    Stop

    Recover 60 to 90 seconds.
    Restart the above sequence, substituting Group Two exercises for Group One.

    Stop

    Recover 60 to 90 seconds.
    Restart the above sequence, substituting Group Three exercises for Group Two.

    Enjoy your mobility with your favorite beverage!

  • Mobility: Thoracic Spine and Lats

    Improve your posture and breathing by rolling your thoracic spine

    Improve your arm swing by rolling out your lats