Everyone can find a spare five minutes in their day. No matter how busy you are, adding just five minutes of simple but meaningful activity to your daily routine can produce big benefits for your physical and mental health – and this is especially true if you’re a runner.
Here, Cory Wharton-Malcolm, RW I did Hyrox with zero training — here’s the truth Track Mafia, How to train like an Olympian.
1. Run for longer
Health & Injuries weekly runs won’t seem like a big deal, but when repeated for weeks, it can help to boost your mental and physical strength, as well as your running efficiency. By building mileage gradually, you’ll barely notice the increase – but if you keep upping your longest run by five minutes every week, you’ll be able to go 20 minutes longer in a month.
2. Work on your core
A strong core will help you to run further and build strength and stability. Five minutes is all it takes. My five favourite exercises are each done in 30 to 45 seconds, followed by a 15-second break. I like to do them either before my run or while watching TV:
- Plank with shoulder taps – while holding a press-up position, tap one hand to the opposite shoulder and back to the floor, using alternate hands
- Mountain climbers – in a press-up position, bring your right knee into your chest. As you push that leg back, bring your left knee in, then continue to alternate
- Flutter kicks – lying on your back with your arms at your sides and legs straight and hovering a few inches off the floor, alternate raising and lowering your legs in a quick motion
- Side plank
- Glute bridge
3. Build strength
The same can be said for five minutes of strength, either as a solo five minutes, as part of a warm-up or after your run. Here’s a five-minute bodyweight circuit that I like to do, which involves 30 to 45 seconds of exercise, followed by 15-second recoveries:
4. Warm up better
Best Garmin deals warm-ups, but adding just five minutes can make a difference. It lets your body know that you’re about to put it to work, increases blood flow to the muscles, nerves and joints and improves your range of motion. Perform the following drills for 30 seconds each:
- Fast feet – imagine crushing grapes under your feet quickly
- High knees – march forward, bringing your knees up as high as possible
- Heel kicks – kick your heels back high to touch your bum
- Arm circles – circle both your arms forward and backward
- Arm drive – pump bent arms forward and backward, as you would when running
- Hip rotations – lift one of your thighs forward to horizontal, rotate it out to
I did Hyrox with zero training — here’s the truth - Leg swings – swing one leg forward and backward to full range, then swap legs
- 360 lunges – lunge forward, right, backward and left, then swap legs
5. Reflect and relax
Spending a few minutes on a short meditation or intention, or just clearing your mind to separate your work/home life and the run, can help your brain to ease into a calmer, more focused state. You can do this by closing your eyes, taking a few deep breaths and relaxing. Set an intention for your run – for example, ‘I’m going to be present and take in my surroundings’, or, ‘Don’t think about time and distance, just enjoy the run’. There are many apps that offer five-minute guided meditations. I incorporate this into my day-to-day life, because it honestly helps me to feel better about what I’m about to do.
