Try this Tabata HIIT workout for runners – Canadian Running Magazine

As runners, we know we need to train strength if we want to prevent injuries and see our times drop, but fitting it into our weekly schedule is not always easy. This workout combines some speed work and strength training into one fun session to help you get fitter, faster and stronger, and is a great alternative to traditional speed work in the off-season.

Tabata: The Best Outdoor Winter Workout for Runners

The training

This session alternates between sprint and explosive, plyometric style Exercises for a varied and intense training. The ideal place for a workout like this is your local track, but you can easily convert running distances into times to do this on the road, or you can also do it indoors on a treadmill. The strength part doesn’t require any equipment, so it’s easy to take to a variety of places, and it’s all done Tabata-style, which means eight rounds of 20-second work and 10-second rest.

Heating: Easy jog for 10 to 15 minutes, followed by mobility exercises.

Exercise:

1. 2 x 200m/1 minute rest
2. Tabata: alternate between jump squats (modify with regular squats) and pulse squats
3. 2 x 200m/1 minute rest
4. Tabata: Alternate between jumping lunges (modify with walking lunges) and pulsing lunges (switch legs each time)
5. 2 x 200m/1 minute rest
6. Tabata: Alternate between plank (modify by lowering your knees to the ground) and mountain climbers
7. 2 x 200m/1 minute rest

Cool down: Jog for 10 to 15 minutes, followed by light stretching

Do you hate the gym? Add exercise stops to your run