Pick two or three of these workouts and mix them up. Strive for improvement on each workout over time. Every two weeks, perform an actual PFA, or at a minumum, perform at least one PFA prior to your official workout. These workouts are intended to develop and require intensity of effort. They place a premium on intensity instead of duration. Working out for a longer period, but with less intensity, will produce a slower result. If anything, workout for a shorter period, with a higher intensity. By intensity I mean "a work output that makes you feel near exhaustion." For example, if your goal pace for a PFA is 12 minutes, meaning you would cover each 200m in 1 minute, a pace slower than that is not intense enough. (last update 24 September 2010)
1. AMRAP in 15 minutes -
-Run 200m, 10 pushups, 15 situps (AMRAP = as many rounds as possible)
2. First minute, max pushups
Rest 1 minute
Third minute, max situps
Rest 1 minute
Starting on minute four, run 3/4 miles at your goal PFA pace
Rest as long as you ran
Run 400m at goal pace
Rest as long as you ran
Stop after 25 minutes or when you can no longer run your goal pace
3. First minute, max situps
Rest 1 minute
Third minute, max pushups
Rest 1 minute
Then, AMRAP in 10 minutes:
-400m run/row/bike etc
-8 pushups
-15 situps
4. AMRAP for 20 minutes:
-Run 200m
-Max number of pushups
-Rest 2 minutes
-Run 200m
-Max number of situps
-Rest 2 minutes
-Alternate between these two for 20 minutes total work
The point of the rest is that you start the 200m run with enough juice to run at your goal PFA pace. If you want to run a faster PFA, you have to train for speed.
5. Do half of your goal su, half of your goal pu
-Run 3/4 mile at goal pace (or 1/2 of your cardio event, at goal pace)
-Rest 3 mins
-Run 400m at goal pace, rest as long as you ran
-Repeat to cover 1.5 to 2 miles
6. Run 400m, then begin tabata pushups/situps (20s pushups, 10s rest, 20s situps, 10s rest, repeat for 8 minutes). Get up and run 400m. Count total reps and time.
