Sunday is a perfect day for a stretch challenge. You’ve worked hard all week–now it’s time to reap the benefits of exercise with some STRETCH recovery.

Do your light workout today–whatever that may be. Then go through this yoga stretch routine and see if it helps you refocus your mind and body (to recovery), so it’s primed and ready for Monday.

Want to beat the masses at your next 5k, 10k or half? If you are a competitive runner, you know you get your edge from making incremental improvements in your training. TEMPO RUNS are the solution to a lot of training plateaus because they teach the body how to efficiently metabolize oxygen.

Try this TEMPO RUN and see where you stand:

1. WARM UP for 1 MILE with a JOG pace (40-50% max speed)

2. SPRINT 1 MIN  (90% of your max speed)

3. RACE PACE 2 MIN (60-70% max speed)

4. Alternate, 1 MIN SPRINT, 2 MIN RACE PACE for 20 min

5. COOL DOWN with a 1 MILE JOG pace

Tempo running improves a crucial physiological variable for running success: our metabolic fitness. Most runners have trained their cardiovascular system to deliver oxygen to the muscles…but they haven’t trained their bodies to use that oxygen once it arrives. Tempo runs do just that by teaching the body to use oxygen for metabolism more efficiently.

How? By increasing your lactate threshold (LT), or the point at which the body fatigues at a certain pace. During tempo runs, lactate and hydrogen ions—by-products of metabolism—are released into the muscles. The ions make the muscles acidic, eventually leading to fatigue. The better trained you become, the higher you push your “threshold,” meaning your muscles become better at using these byproducts. The result is less-acidic muscles (that is, muscles that haven’t reached their new “threshold”), so they keep on contracting, letting you run farther and faster.

Alright, let’s face it, I know you guys are all a sucker for a pretty face. And while this intro picture might be a clever ruse to draw you in to checking out this POWER UP workout challenge, I’m willing to bet you either want to look like this guy, or be with this guy. To do either, you have to have a body to match. Try CoreFit Challenge #14 to power up through plyometrics, and full body core work. If you want to really push yourself, add a 50m sprint in between each exercise without resting.

Can working out daily make a visual difference? CorefitChicago presents the CORE check: A series this week of before and after exercise shots of (what else?) my abs. Watch my abs get more sculpted all week, one workout at a time, proving you can make daily changes to your body.

Just to prove to you that working out does make daily changes to your body, I will post Monday’s before and Friday’s after shot as the grand finale.

Game on!

-Shayna