April 27, 2023
Fitness / Challenges / Just Enough Workout
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A Cardio Workout That Will Help You to Pick Up the Pace
The workout below is for Day 13 of the Just Enough Workout, a four-week workout plan. Today’s routine is pretty great on its own, but you can also check out the full program right here or browse the calendar here. If you’d like to sign up to receive daily emails featuring these workouts, you can do that here.
It’s time for your final workout of Week 2, and today’s another cardio day! Like the other cardio days in this program, you’ll pick your modality: Run, jog, walk, cycle, row, or use an elliptical machine; do it indoors or take it outside. It’s all up to you.
But unlike the routine you did earlier this week, this time you’ll be playing with intervals and upping your intensity slightly. The Just Enough option is a great way to ease into varying efforts if you don’t want to look at a watch. You’ll do an easy effort during your first song; then pick up the pace slightly on the verses of the second song, and (if you’d like) push even a bit more on the chorus; then take it back down to that easy pace for your third song.
If you’ve got a little more time and a stopwatch handy, Just a Little More will give you the opportunity to push your cardio. But here’s a trick to make this work: When you begin your first hard effort during the first round of the first circuit, make sure you stick to an RPE: 6–7. (Here’s what those RPEs, or rates of perceived exertion, should feel like.) Don’t push yourself to an RPE: 8–9. Why? Because by the fourth or fifth round of that circuit, you may no longer be able to sustain it. Put more simply: Don’t go too hard out of the gate and be forced to finish with much lower RPEs. The name of the game is consistency. If the first few rounds feel easier, that’s okay—the effort will catch up to you.
If you happen to be jogging or running on a track, you can try to cover the same distance during the same time interval, which will help you keep a consistent speed. (It can also be useful to do workouts like this on a treadmill, where you can set the belt to a specific speed; or on a bike or elliptical, where you can monitor your power output, RPMs, and distance.) Of course, if that all feels a bit too technical, skip it. You don’t need any of that to have a successful workout. Simply pick some good tunes and pay attention to how you feel.
Just Enough Movement Directions:
- Song 1: Easy effort (RPE: 2–3)
- Song 2: Moderate effort on the verses (RPE: 3–4), optional harder pickup on chorus (RPE: 4–5)
- Song 3: Easy effort (RPE: 2–3)
Total time: About 10 minutes
Just a Little More Movement Directions:
- 5-minute warm-up (RPE: 2–3)
Circuit 1
- 15 seconds hard effort (RPE: 6–7)
- 45 seconds recovery (RPE: 2–3)
- Repeat 4–8 times total
- 2 minute reset (RPE: 3–4)
Circuit 2
- 20 seconds hard effort (RPE: 6–7)
- 40 sec recovery (RPE: 2–3)
- Repeat 4–8 times total
- 5–7 minute cool-down (RPE: 2–3)
Total time: 20–30 min
Photographer: Katie Thompson. Wardrobe styling: Rika Watanabe. Makeup: Monica Alvarez at See Management. Hair: Erin Piper Hershleb at L’Atelier. Creative director: Amber Venerable.
Jo Murdock wears: Top: Lululemon Energy Bra, $52. Bottoms: Lululemon Align High-Rise Pant, 25”, $98. Shoes: Lululemon Chargefeel Mid Women’s Workout Shoe, $148.
