All the men out there!
Having issues to clear your IPPT? Not sure how to train for it? Or simply don’t like to exercise? Or are you too busy to train for it, especially with hectic work and study levels?
The above questions are some possible things that go through your mind that make you DREAD IPPT. Recently, I heard of people just barely passed it or even failing it. FYI, if you were to fail IPPT, RT is waiting for you (which I think it will make you dread IPPT more, and waste your precious time).
However, fret not! For me being in the sporting arena for a long while now, I hope what I am going to share for the next few weeks, hopefully it can help you to clear IPPT and even get the silver or gold, which does make you $200(silver) or $400(gold) richer. Good money to be a little more hardworking, isn’t it?
For the ladies out there, although the passing of IPPT does not apply to you, I also hope this series can also help you to be healthier and reduce some fats, which can make you ladies more beautiful, radiant and sharp=D
**FYI, dieting is NOT good, which will be addressed in the later entries.
In today’s entry, I am going to address the apparent most dreaded component: Running.
Many people dread running for many reasons, such as:
1) Too busy
2) Lazy
3) Don’t know how to go about it
4) Tiring
Of course there are many more reasons (especially when you want to find your way not to run, all sorts of excuses and reasons can come out). If you are plain lazy or not willing to exercise (applies to BOTH genders), that I can’t help much, though I hope this series can convict you a little more to start exercising, for your health and well being sake.(Guys of course, to get the IPPT out of the way and earn extra cash).
So how does the 2.4km component work?
This distance is not really considered long distance running, however it can be quite a demand on the body. Reason being that this is a test of speed endurance (i.e. how long can you last at a certain speed). That means if you start too fast that your body can take, you will tire out very fast towards the end.
The tiring out is due to the relatively low lactic acid threshold in our body. You will be wondering what is “lactic acid threshold”. It is the limit of lactic acid that our body can take before our muscles get tired or “jelly”. The lactic acid is produced when we do speed-endurance based exercises, which require less oxygen than usual. Fret not if you have a low threshold, as this threshold can be trained as you train and will get higher. This limit will go down when you stop training.
After explaining the technical details, it’s time to tell you how to train for it.
In general, it will have 2 components: stamina build up and speed training. Of course the sort of speed and distance you need to train at will depend on your fitness level and your target time. Also it will require you to take out an average of 1 hr for 3 days per week. I suggest also that you can get a training partner or even train as a group, so that it will not be too boring.
The training plan suggested is for about 4 months for beginners. If you are fitter, you can adjust accordingly to suit your needs.
1st 2 weeks:
Slow jog for 15 mins.
This is to build up your basic stamina. After each run, it will be good to do some basic strengthening exercises such as crunches, sit-ups, push-ups, burpees and back extension. These exercises will be helpful for your future trainings and also your other IPPT components.
Subsequently for the next 6 weeks, increase your slow jog time gradually to 30 mins (5 mins per increase).
As you build up your basic stamina, I am sure your fitness will sure improve. Even the ladies, you can also use this to help you build up your stamina, and keep you healthy.
The speed aspect of training for your running will be discussed in the next issue.
Meantime, happy training and enjoy life! Stay healthy!Labels: Health and wellness
