What’s up, fellow Obsessives?
The results from last week’s poll are in! 75 percent of you thought the Monday morning workout after the Super Bowl is a tougher one than the workout on New Year’s Day.
Though something tells me the Obsessives in Seattle had a little extra pep in their step this past Monday …
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Why running on inclines matters
Has it seemed like we’ve been running on inclines a lot lately?
Maybe that’s just how my class attendance has shaken out recently, but there’s been a lot of hills during my recent mileage. Like most, I have a love-hate relationship with inclines with my brain claiming most of the love and my knees claiming most of the hate.
But while you’re banging out those power blocks, I think it’s important to remember why they’re an essential building block in Orangetheory routines and what benefit they’re delivering whether you’re running or power walking.
It Builds Strength While You’re On The Tread: With inclines, you’re not just racking up cardio minutes. Climbing hills takes the load off your quads and shifts it to your calves, glutes and hamstrings to ensure OTF is paying attention to your entire body.
You Can Increase Your Heart Rate Without Increasing Speed: Instead of needing to pound away at top speeds to get into that orange zone, you can either jog or power walk at a lower speed and get in the same neighborhood.
It Actually Requires Lower Join Impact: It’s counterintuitive, but my knees should appreciate the incline days. You’re running slower, you’re striking more midfoot and you’re not overstriding. The more impact is all in my head and it’s something I need to remind myself about when I’m not into the hills.
It’s More Interesting: Let’s be honest: Things at OTF would get pretty stale if it was just base, push, all-out at 1 percent incline every day. Running on a hill helps you focus on form, presents a bigger mental challenge and gives you a great feeling of accomplishment once you climb off the tread.
Plus, what else can make you feel like this boss from the Olympics last week?
(Sidenote: If you haven’t seen Johannes Høsflot Klæbo at work during any of his nine gold medal wins, it’s one of the most impressive and inspiring athletic achievements to check out.)
📕 Conquer your workouts with
the Ultimate OTF Tracker on Notion!
📆 The Week Ahead
🏃♂️ 12 minute run for distance (Thursday) No hills here! And while the 2,000 meter row might have been placed in moth balls, running’s big boy is back for the first time since September 15. Good luck!
🏆 Milestones and Records
Congrats to friend of the newsletter Jeff A. for toppling class 1,450 and best wishes as he fights through some PT for a foot issue!
Shoutout to Meredith M. for hitting class 300!
Hit a milestone class, set a PR or have something else you’re proud of? Hit reply to this email and let me know!
