Welcome to of the Last week we focused on beginning to build our core and leg muscles with basic exercises designed to be done at the barn or from the relative comfort of your bedroom. This week, while building last week s workouts, we are also going to being adding some stamina training and cardio to the challenge. Yes, that means get your jogging pants out We re going running! As I mentioned last week, this is only a guideline. I am not a fitness instructor or coach, nor am I a medical professional. All exercises are done at your own risk and we highly recommend consulting with your healthcare practitioner before starting any fitness plan. So in last week s program, we slowly began to get outside and start moving, beginning with our 3km per day walks and building up to 4km per day. This week, we will start adding short bursts of jogging into this. By short, I mean 1minute at a time bursts. Now, if you are already a runner, please ignore this part of the program and proceed with the workouts, using your own running program instead rather. The following running program is for people who have not run before, or are only starting running again after a long break. It is a beginner program, which over 6 weeks can be built up to a 5km run. Now, don t panic, we are only going to build up to about 3km A big push for many, but I think doable for most. The reason we are building our stamina, is we want to get our heart rate up a little, so when we are riding fast work or long distances, you will be a help to your horse, not a hindrance. So, are you ready to push your body a little harder, a little faster and a little further this week? Let s go! 2
Day 8 5 Minute Warm Up Gentle Walking 5 Minute Cool Down Gentle Walking Plank x15 x15 x15 Seconds Rest If today you feel that your inspiration and motivation is lagging Push on through, shake things up and remember, there was something deep inside you that only 8 days ago wanted to complete this and considering you are a third of the way through, it would be a shame to quit now. 3
Day 9 5 Km Brisk Walk 3.1 Mile Brisk Walk X20 Crunch & Leg Lift X15 Oblique Twist X15 (Each Side) X20 Belly Twister X15 (Each Side) Side Bridge X15(Each Side) Plank 25 Seconds 1 Minute Two Point Seat x2 At this point in the challenge, it is normal to feel that you do not have enough time to complete the workouts and the cardio work each day, but I really and truly urge you to schedule this time for yourself and follow through. It is amazing where we can find an hour every day if we just begin to look at our schedules differently That hour that is spent surfing the internet Is it necessary? Or perhaps the hour making dinner for the family each evening Why not create two or three meals at once, freeze them and use that to quickly whip up something nutrition and tasty for the family the next few weeks. And lastly, the hour spent watching TV Enough said! Imagine how much better you will feel after 1 week of replacing that hour with me time that is both a short term and long term investment in your health and well being. 4
Day 10 5 Minute Warm Up Gentle Walking 5 Minute Cool Down Gentle Walking Donkey Kick Bridge Lunge Leg Lift Plank X20 x15 (Each Leg) x15(each Leg) X20 x15 (Each Leg) x15 25 Seconds 1 Minute 2 Point Seat x2 5
Day 11 5 Km Brisk Walk 3.1 Mile Brisk Walk At this point, with your cardio, it would be great if you can begin including some light hills into your route. This not only asks different questions from your muscles, but also helps increase your fitness levels faster than if you are just walking on the flat. I would also strongly suggest getting off the roads and onto the trails or hiking paths more. The unlevel surface will help you incorporate your core and balance into your walking, which is more like horse riding than just walking on a smooth surface such as a road or treadmill. Crunch & Leg Lift Oblique Twist Belly Twister Side Bridge Plank X20 X15 X15 (Each Side) X20 X15 (Each Side) X15(Each Side) 25 Seconds 1 Minute Two Point Seat x2 6
Day 12 5 Minute Warm Up Gentle Walking 5 Minute Cool Down Gentle Walking Plank X30 Seconds Rest 7
Day 13 6 Km Brisk Walk 3.75 Mile Brisk Walk Donkey Kick x15 (Each Leg) Bridge x15(each Leg) Lunge x15 (Each Leg) Leg Lift x15 Plank 30 Seconds 1 Minute 2 Point Seat x2 Remember to allow your body enough time to rest between each circuit of exercises. Also, if you are finding the amount of reps of each exercise too much each time, break it up into two sets for each circuit. 8 and 8 or 12 and 12 It is vital you listen to your body and what your body is telling you. While you do want to push yourself, you do not want to cause an injury by overdoing something to the point where you tear a muscle. 8
With exercise, slow and steady will always get better results than trying to be Super Woman on day 1 (or 13 or 23 Whatever the case may be!) Day 14 5 Minute Warm Up Gentle Walking 5 Minute Cool Down Gentle Walking If you are finding the jogging tough going, remember that it really does not matter the speed at which you are jogging, it is the motion and the actual action of jogging that counts. So even if you are moving at a snail s pace. You are moving and, with time it will become so much easier for you to cover more ground with each stride. 9
Crunch & Leg Lift Oblique Twist Belly Twister Side Bridge Plank X15 X15 (Each Side) X15 (Each Side) X15(Each Side) 25 Seconds 1 Minute Two Point Seat x2 Congratulations You have reached the half way point! What a fantastic achievement, most never make it here See you tomorrow as we begin Week 3 of the 30 Day Rider Fitness Challenge Well Done! 10