Six Mile 10k Strength Builder

The workout, set to upbeat music which can be turned on or off, starts with a 10 minute warmup at a comfortable “base pace”. Midway through the warmup Coach Troy throws in several 30 second “striders” at 2mph above base pace and a 2% incline. The striders are simply designed to elevate your heart rate and prepare your legs for the impending 5×6 minute repeats.

Once the 10 minutes are up, Coach Troy increases the speed to your estimated 10k race pace. I’ve never really trusted the accuracy of my treadmill, but I’m quite confident that a moderate 8.0mph will elevate my heart rate sufficiently and replicate 10k pace. Each 6 minute repeat begins gently at a 0% incline, but increases 1% every minute. You finish up at your chosen speed and 5% incline – pretty challenging and my heart rate of 179 proved this!

(Make sure you’re working out in a well ventilated room and have plenty of fluids available. This is a tough workout, rated at 9 on a scale of 1 to 10 and will soon have you sweating plenty. It’s a good idea to have a towel handy too!)

Thankfully you get a 90 second recovery after each 6 minute repeat, by which time your heart rate will have dropped (it drops quicker the fitter you get) and your legs will be ready to go again. Troy works you through 3 more repeats in the same fashion as the first, each one stressing your body slightly more than the previous one.

The real strength builder is saved for the last 6 minute repeat. You start off at the same speed (in my case 8.0mph) and same 0% incline, but after each minute you have to increase the incline by 2%. Halfway through the repeat and you wonder if you’ll ever make it to the end, and by the end of the 6 minutes you’re running at 10% grade and your chosen speed. My heart rate maxed out at 181, my legs were burning, but I made it. Thankfully Coach Troy rewards you with a 4 or 5 minute cool down!

I must say to anyone who doubts you get a decent workout on a treadmill, you have to try the 10k Strength Builder. The 50 minutes go by really fast and you know when you’re done you’re going to be stronger and faster for the effort. It’s also great for someone who doesn’t have a local track to run on or who finds it hard to stay motivated running intervals on a 400m oval.

If you’re interested, take a look at a live preview of the DVD on the Coach Troy web site.

The DVD is available for just $14.95 on Coach Troy’s web site and in my opinion is really good value. If you’re thinking that it’s cheaper than other DVD’s in the Runervals and Spinervals Series, this one is classed as an “Off the Cutting Room Floor” edition. Here’s an explanation from Coach Troy:

In our quest to create the most useful and effective workouts in the industry for serious athletes and fitness enthusiasts, we are constantly trying new and improved video production methods. In some cases, our attempts fall short and the video picture quality, sound quality or other aspects of the show do not meet our high production quality standards.

‘Off the Cutting Room Floor’ workouts are fantastic training sessions that we feel fall short on production values but meet our high standards of training effectiveness for our loyal customers. Therefore, instead of ’scrapping’ these highly effective workouts, they’re made available at a reduced price through limited distribution.

Enjoy and Happy Strength Building!