Step 1: The Evaluation | Step 2: The Routine | Step 3: The Fine-Tuning

Step 2: The Routine: Wind sprints are just the beginning
Online newcomers are expected to do an initial field test—either cycling, swimming, or running—so trainers can gauge their overall fitness and establish a benchmark against which to measure future gains. I decide to run, which requires an all-out sprint for eight minutes, something I haven't done since I was seven.

Still, White says my distance covered (1.15 miles) (1.85 kilometers), average heart rate (158), and peak heart rate (184) are "very good" and e-mails me three color-coded spreadsheets. One is a set of core exercises, another details a 45-minute resistance workout, and the third is a strength-training routine for when I'm traveling and can't get to a gym. All told, for my requested six-day-a-week schedule, White specifies 46 different exercises. And while I'm a little uneasy about doing "power skips" in public, the variety is crucial for someone who bores as easily as I do.

Post workout, I go online and record my results: Did I complete as prescribed, modify, or skip my routine entirely? Weekly summaries keep tabs on my total resistance, strength, core-training, and running stats and generate a graph of my progress. When I'm not exactly sure how to do "high knees," I click to the Carmichael video collection for a narrated how-to. Carmichael, I realize, has successfully idiotproofed my training.




Pick up the February 2006 issue for 36 amazing Hawaiian adventures, the most spectacular treks in Australia, 11 weekend escapes near you, and more.