Building Your Baseline-Slimming Your Waistline


Now that we've learned that running slowly builds the lean muscles we've been longing for, it's time to get down to the specifics.

Cristina Peerenboom recommends starting from scratch.

"For those who already run but feel like it's an extremely tedious task, I recommend wiping the slate clean," says Peerenboom. "Start building a baseline today that will allow your body to burn fat, be more efficient, and sculpt long, non-cumbersome muscle definition."

Peerenboom says the ideal speed on a treadmill is between 5.5 and 6.5 mph, or wherever you feel comfortable carrying on a conversation without heavy breathing, i.e. "a conversational pace."

"You should be able to speak clearly and coherently while performing fat burning cardio," says Peerenboom. "Carry on a conversation with a buddy, or sing along to your iPod."

If you're on a treadmill, pay attention to the heart rate monitor and keep it under 135.

"This is achieved by running with relaxed arms, and taking small non-bounding strides," says Peerenboom. "It's a casual pace that might feel almost too easy to be beneficial."

Focus on time over distance. Peerenboom says to aim for 30-45 minutes every other day for the first week. Once that gets easier, she says to add more time to your run, say 40-60 minute jaunts.

"The good thing is that this transformation usually only takes one to three weeks," says Peerenboom. "Ignore the voice in your head calling you a lazy loser for running slowly and try it. It works wonders!"

Once you've got the lengthy runs in the bag, Peerenboom says you can then begin to add sets of intervals or sprints to your regular workouts.

"One or two days a week you can dedicate yourself to a faster paced run," says Peerenboom. "Doing this, while maintaining your fat-burning base with frequent longer runs, will gradually increase the effort you put forth to get winded, increasing your cardiovascular capacity."

She says on these "fast" days you can throw in two 5 minutes sprints at about 8 mph. But she says, you should still continue to strive for a long total run time and always allow for a 10 minute cool-down.

Peerenboom says if you abandon the "no pain, no gain" approach to running and follow this plan, you will build a great cardio baseline and transform into a fat burning machine.

For more information about Peerenboom and her exercise/nutritional plan, visit http://www.thebrinkeffect.com/

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