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These are the exact workouts a Nike trainer does each week to injury-proof her body while training for a half-marathon
Welcome to Workout Diaries, a new series where we ask expert trainers to talk us through what a week of exercise looks like for them, helping you figure out how to develop and maintain an effective workout routine.
Tess Glynne-Jones is a Nike trainer and the founder of The Female Training Programme.
She’s an expert in strength training, but her workouts have changed recently, as she prepares for the Copenhagen Half Marathon.
“My training has always been based around blending strength and cardio, so I can move quickly, I can move for as long as I need to and I can lift heavy stuff,” she tells Fit&Well. “I’ve always trained just to be as healthy, fit and strong as possible.”
Combining running with strength training can be difficult, but when you get it right, it can improve your cardio, help you build muscle and reduce your chance of injury.
“I always make sure I have strength workouts that complement [my running],” says the trainer.
Below, she’s shared what a week of workouts currently looks like for her while preparing for a half-marathon.
Tess Glynne-Jones’ weekly workout routine
Monday 7am
Running threshold intervals
15 to 20 minute bodyweight warm-up, followed by three rounds of eight minutes of running at goal race pace, with 90 seconds of rest in between
Tuesday 9am
50 to 60-minute full-body strength session
Focus: mobility, glute activation, explosive exercises, two compound lifts, two accessory lifts, and calf raises
Wednesday 12:30pm
Speed run intervals
Four rounds of three minutes of fast running, broken up by 90 seconds of rest. Followed by four rounds of 90 seconds of sprinting, with 90 seconds of rest.
Thursday, 10am
50 to 60 minute full-body strength session
Focus: mobility, glute activation, explosive exercises, two compound lifts, two accessory lifts and calf raises
Friday, 11am
50 to 60 minute full-body strength session
Focus: mobility, glute activation, explosive exercises, two compound lifts, two accessory lifts and calf raises
Saturday, 9am
18 kilometre run
Six kilometres in zone two, then eight kilometres at a faster pace, and the final four kilometres at an even faster pace.
Sunday
Rest day
Tess Glynne-Jones Q&A
(Image credit: Tess Glynne Jones)
What are your priorities when it comes to working out?
“My main goal at the moment is the Copenhagen half marathon,” Glynne-Jones says. However, the trainer says that she believes the key to an effective workout routine that you enjoy is having lots of different goals.
“My main thing is I like to feel athletic when I’m moving. I never want to feel so strong that I’ve lost my fitness because I’ve neglected cardio, but I never want to feel so fit that I neglect all my strength work,” she says.
Glynne-Jones also admits that aesthetics are part of her training. “I think a lot of people find telling people that they’re training for aesthetics taboo, but it’s not. If you want to get more confident by adapting your aesthetics, that’s great,” she says.
However, issues arise when your only goals are aesthetic, according to Glynne-Jones. Not only can this be frustrating, but it can also take the fun out of exercise. That’s why she always has movement goals too.
“I love being able to do pull-ups and push-ups […] so I always have pull-up and push-up variations in my workouts because I like to see them progressing,” she explains.
What type of workouts do you do?
Glynne-Jones combines running—which includes shorter, faster runs and longer, slower runs—with lifting weights. Her strength training is designed to complement her running progress.
“With my lower-body strength work, I focus on unilateral [single-leg] work to help with running and explosive movements,” she says.
“I think one of the biggest mistakes people who run tend to make is they do endurance work when strength training, so they’re doing 15 or more reps of each exercise, but you’re already getting enough endurance by running,” she says.
Instead, Glynne-Jones focuses on exercises that will help her gain muscle and develop power.
“When you’re running at a fast pace, you’re doing explosive calf raises, explosive hip flexions and explosive hamstring curls, so you need to be able to create that power from somewhere and explosive work in the gym really helps with that,” she explains.
How often do you aim to work out each week?
Glynne-Jones aims to do three runs per week and three strength sessions per week.
“The strength workouts are all three days per week and every single session is a full-body workout,” she explains, adding: “I never do two run days back-to-back”.
The trainer completes a deload week every four weeks, during which she lowers the frequency and intensity of her strength sessions. She does this the week before her period, when her energy levels are lower.
“I will strip back my strength training, and I’ll do two sessions instead of three. Within those sessions, I’ll be doing less weight or less reps,” Glynne-Jones explains.
Do you usually hit this target?
“My main thing is always listening to my body,” Glynne-Jones says. “If you’re under the weather, training really hard that day could prevent you from recovering.”
She explains that she consistently completes three runs per week, as running is her main focus right now, but she’s flexible with when she completes each run.
“There’s been times where I’d planned to do it on a Friday but felt too fatigued from the day before, so I did it on a Saturday instead,” she explains.
How long are your workouts?
Glynne-Jones spends around an hour strength training, and she usually spends at least 15 minutes doing mobility as part of this at the start of her sessions. “I’m a real do-not-rush-your-warm-ups kind of person,” she says.
The runs vary in length and times, but two runs per week tend to take around 30 minutes, and her run at the weekend will be at least one hour.
How do you find workout motivation?
Although Glynne-Jones has a consistent routine with exercise, she explains that starting small is key.
“You don’t have to be in the gym for that long, and you can also do it at home. 20 minutes of movement a day is a lot better than going to the gym for one hour once a week and then doing nothing for the rest of the week,” she says.
What’s your number one tip for someone looking to develop an effective exercise routine?
Although it’s great to set goals, Glynne-Jones warns against overly ambitious goals.
“Don’t bite off more than you can chew,” she says. “If you know with full confidence that you can do one session per week, aim for one session per week and then if you get two, or three, that’s amazing.”
