Calf & Quad Killer, Botanical Gardens, Sydney

The sun was shining yet again in Sydney so after my super breakfast of coffee, toast, avocado, tomato and terracotta cheese I was excited to get out and explore.   I set off to escape the concrete slabs and hustle and bustle of the city and ran my way to the Botanical Gardens.  Wild cockatoos, galahs, rosellas and other beautiful birds soared freely in the sky and chatted happily to each other from tree to tree.  The gardens really are quite an oasis, you wouldn’t know you were in the heart of Sydney if it weren’t for the breathtaking view over the water of the Opera House and Harbour Bridge.  Quite spectacular really!

After my 10 minute warm up run I came across a set of stairs which must be a focus point here in Sydney as every other runner out there took to the stairs for some gruelling calf and quad burns!  Thus, this is where my workout begun....

WOD

5 sets of sprints up the stairs (102 steps), with a 30 second rest at the top, walk down and do it over again.  This is superb interval training as your heart rate soars for approximately 10 seconds and with just enough rest, it allows for maximum output by the time you hit the bottom to do it all over again.  After the 3^rd sprint my legs were jelly walking back down and my heart rate was out of this world. 

30, 25, 20, 15, 10 of the following, ensuring all exercises are completed before moving down the ladder:

·         Pushups (full range of movement with chest touching the ground every rep)

·         Bicycle crunches (with your fingers clasped together behind your neck, be mindful not to pull on your head (keep it in a neutral position) and use your obliques to rotate!)

·         Superman raises (lie on your stomach and raise both your arms and legs simultaneously as high as you can, then lower and repeat)

·         Walking lunges (front knee is not to pass over your toes and should be at 90 degrees with the ground)

Finished off with 3 more sets of the stair sprints.

I knew I was going to be sore after this workout so I spent about 20 minutes stretching out my quads and calves and walked home to reduce lactic acid build up.  I won’t lie, my legs were sore for a few days anyway.