Ahead of the start of our Tempo Tuesday, we caught up with Ben, our Head of HIIT and Running, about why it’s important to pick up the pace.
When it comes to running, typically, we can often find ourselves guilty of plodding at one set pace during the majority of our sessions. Don’t get me wrong, this certainly isn’t a bad thing. In fact, around 80% of our sessions on the road should be working at ‘easy pace’.
Having said this, to improve your running, as well as mixing up your training with some cycling, yoga and strength work, it’s important to introduce a variety of intensities. This is why we’ve put together a six week Tempo running program to help you improve your running fitness and efficiency.
What is tempo running?
Tempo running is where you are working at one set intensity for a prolonged period of time. There are a couple of ways you can measure this and, for the Tempo Tuesday sessions, we will be guiding you with ‘RPE’ (rate of perceived exertion). RPE ensures that all of the sessions are relative to you, allowing everyone to work at the same intensity even though we may not be together IRL! Plus, the more sessions you join us for, the more of an understanding you’ll have of what each intensity means to you.
What are the benefits?
Running at one pace / ‘the plod’ gets you very good at doing just that (holding the exact same speed for a prolonged period of time). But when it comes to making progress with your fitness, different intensities are important. In the Tempo Tuesday sessions, we will be working slightly out of your comfort zone for short blocks of work, followed by active recovery (either walking / easy jogging) in order to make progress with your aerobic running capacity.
What do I need to know before joining the audio-led sessions
1. You need a set of headphones and your mobile data turned on. Perhaps before joining the session, try going for a walk and streaming a podcast to check the connection is ok.
2. Although the sessions will be delivered live on Tuesdays, whatever the weather, we understand that poor weather conditions can be a challenge. That’s why, if you book into the session, you’ll receive the recording the next morning, so you can join the run anytime over the rest of the week.
3. The sessions are suitable for all. They all start with a guided warm up and end with some cooldown stretches.
4. I’d recommend using the session as your main cardio based session on the day. This will ensure that your body is prepared and not over fatigued.
For me, this is perfect motivation for the next six weeks - giving you accountability and clear structure within your run training. And whether you’re a seasoned runner or just starting your running journey, the sessions will be relative and scalable to you, so what are you waiting for?!
BEN DAVIE
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