Run walk & tone: melt the pounds away and discover a leaner, stronger you with our 6-week total-body conditioning program

Shape, May, 2005 by Julie Osterman

RELATED ARTICLE: RUN/WALK CALENDAR

Cardio Plan

Schedule You'll do 5 cardio workouts each week. If you're a beginner (you've been exercising less than 3 months), follow the instructions for Weeks 1-3, then repeat for the next 3 weeks. Intermediates (exercising for 3-6 months) should begin with Week 2, do Week 3 twice and then finish with Weeks 4-6. If you're advanced (exercising for more than 6 months), do Weeks 3-6, then repeat Weeks 5-6.

Run or Walk? You can run or walk this entire program, as long as you follow the intensity instructions. You can also combine running and walking: For an easy-to-moderate run/walk workout, run each interval and walk the rest; for advanced, run the longer times listed and walk the shorter times. To get the most intense workout, run the entire program, upping your intensity by adding incline on a treadmill or running uphill outdoors, to achieve the RPE (Rate of Perceived Exertion) listed (see chart on page 267).

Warm-up/cool-down

Begin and end each session with 5 minutes of easy walking at RPE 3. Finish workout by stretching all muscles, holding each stretch for 30 seconds without bouncing.