Dear Health Conscious Reader,
I’ve now written four books about PACE, and I’m excited to tell you that we’re taking a fifth step. We’re putting together a brand new video program about PACE. You’re going to be able to take your PACE workout to a new level. You’ll get the progressivity built right in, with easy-to-follow workouts and advice.
I’ve taken the basic principle of PACE – progressively increasing your cardio-pulmonary exertion using any kind of exercise that can give your heart and lungs a bit of a challenge – and enhanced it with a more prescriptive set of exercises.
It’s the next step in the evolution of PACE as a new, different and more effective program of building heart and lung strength. I can’t tell you all the details, but here’s a small part of the new program that you can use right now.
First, let me explain two things…
Unlike most other exercise programs, the focus of PACE is not on how long you work out. It’s not about the duration of your exertion. Instead, you’re focused on a single point in time. Your goal is to hit a peak of intensity. Then in each future workout you simply gradually increase the height of that peak as your fitness level improves.
The other thing you’ll want to remember is that continuous exertion without time for recovery will break your body down. That’s what cardio does. PACE is different. Your periods of rest are just as important as your periods of exertion. It’s when your body’s at rest that the changes take place.
As you become more conditioned, your recovery time will become shorter. This means your muscles, heart and lungs are stronger and more responsive. And this is your goal – to build functional strength you can use.
New Workout: Not Your Average Sprint
Some of the biggest and strongest muscles in your body are in your legs. And the easiest way to work those large leg muscles is to sprint.
When most of us think of “sprinting” we think of running as fast as we can. But sprinting does not have to mean running. In fact, if you are out of shape, older, overweight or have bad knees, there are several low-impact options that you can pursue and still enjoy all the benefits of sprinting.
The point of “sprinting” is to get your heart and lungs to their maximal output as quickly as possible. It’s all relative to YOUR current level of fitness.
- For a person who is overweight and deconditioned, walking at a brisk pace for 45 seconds might be considered a sprint.
- For a well-conditioned cyclist, a sprint might consist of pedaling up a steep hill at a rapid cadence for several minutes.
No matter what shape you’re in, you want to maintain your maximum effort while sprinting until you note a drop off. When you feel yourself starting to slow down, stop. That’s the sprint.
Then you rest until you are recovered and do it again at your maximum capacity.
If you haven’t sprinted for a while, you should ease into it. And be sure to warm up each time. That doesn’t mean stretch for 30 minutes or jog two miles. It just means that you should do the same exercise you will use for sprinting at a low intensity for five or 10 minutes.
Good old-fashioned fun is not just for kids. We all need to play, and you should never feel guilty or embarrassed about it. Life is already serious enough. That’s why I believe one of the greatest benefits of PACE is that you can use it however you want, and have fun doing it.
PACE sprints are a fun way to work out because you get to improvise as you go along. It’s especially fun over more challenging natural terrain, like hiking trails, the beach or a hilly golf course.
Start by walking or jogging just long enough to get your muscles warmed up. Then, choose a random landmark, like a sign, a tree at the end of the block or a fire hydrant down the street.
Sprint at your maximum capacity until you reach your landmark. Then walk at an easy pace until you feel fully recovered. Then choose another landmark and sprint again. Vary the workout by choosing landmarks at a greater or lesser distances and changing the intensity of your sprint.
At first, you might not be able to reach some of the landmarks, and you’ll have to adjust for your current level of fitness. But don’t take it too easy on yourself. Remember, you want to reach that moment of peak intensity. That’s how you challenge your heart and muscles to become stronger.
Like interest on a bank account, small progressive changes can have a monumental cumulative effect. The adaptations your body makes, day after day, will compound into huge improvements over time.
So change your thinking from “how long” you worked out to “how high” your exertion level peaked. Then aim to progressively increase this peak.
To Your Good Health,
Al Sears, MD
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