5 Unusual Workouts

Over the course of a few training plans, I decided to mix up different types of workouts to keep everything fresh and always keep me at the state of wanting more. I rarely do the same workout in a given week. Fellow ICEdot athlete Travis Owens posted a great article on avoiding burnout during training. With that being said, I have came up with 5 unusual workouts that you may not have thought of to implement into your training plan.

1. The Burpee mile - The best place to start this workout is at the track, away from people and on a flat surface. This exercise is completed by doing a regular burpee, but instead of jumping straight up, jump outward. Then repeat the process until you have completed 1 mile around the track. If this is the first time you ever done this I would recommend to start with 1/2 mile.

2. In the Pool – This exercise starts out with a 1/2 mile freestyle swim in a lap pool. Once that is completed, you will start what I call “lane jumping.” Start beside a lane divider and go under water and pull yourself to the other side. Then immediately go back under water to the other side and so on until you reach the other side of the pool. Repeat this process until you have completed 1/4 mile.  The final stage of this workout occurs if there is 4 or 5 lanes open in the pool.  Instead of swimming vertically down the lap pool, you will swim horizontally. This is mainly an underwater swim. Each time you reach a new lane, pop up for air and go back underwater to the next lane. You will snake accross the pool until you have reached the other side.

3. Mall Parking Lot Suicides - I have touched on this exercise in a previous post, but it is worth mentioning again. I primarily use this workout as a disciplinary workout, but it can be used on a weekly basis. Find the nearest mall parking lot at nighttime (less cars) and pick a lane of parking spaces. Touch every parking space line until you have touched every line in the lot. Start at the end, touch one line and run back to where you started, then touch the second line and so on. Brace yourself, because this will take awhile!

Taking 1st Place during Race the Reaper 6 mile Obstacle Course

4. Car Tires – This is a great workout to utilize if you are training for obstacle course races. If training for a marathon or triathlon I would recommend a weighted vest. This workout begins with the selection of a car tire (or two if you want to make things interesting!) and simply going out for a run with it on your shoulders. This is always an obstacle in most races, and you should know what to expect when you get there. Run a 5k with the tire on your shoulders (or however you want to).

5. River Running – Again, this workout is geared towards obstacle course racers, but is a fun workout to complete even if you are training for a road race. It is a great way to mix things up. Start beside a somewhat dried up river or lake (not hard to find if in Oklahoma!) and simply run in the mud and water. If you feel strong, try to run with the water up to your knees! Every now and then, drop down do low crawls in the mud, burpees, and pushups.

These workouts are fun but very challenging, and I encourage you to give some of them a try!

“Really it comes down to your philosophy. Do you want to play it safe and be good or do you want to take a chance and be great?” – Jimmy Johnson

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