Structured Workouts: How to Read, Follow, and Sync
Welcome to your Moonshot Run Club structured workouts! This guide will help you understand how to read and follow each workout, from warm-up to cool-down. Learn how to interpret effort levels, sync with your device, and optimize your training to reach your full potential.
Reading Your Workout Instructions
Each workout is broken down into clear sections to guide you through your run:
Warm-Up: Always start with an easy-paced warm-up to prepare your body. This may include strides or dynamic stretches to activate key muscles. Find out what works best for you. You can shorten or lengthen your warm-up by pressing the lap button on your device to move to the next segment when ready.
Main Set: This is the core of your workout and can involve continuous running, intervals, or other variations. It specifies the duration or distance, intensity levels, and effort cues like pace (based on your current lactate threshold pace) and perceived effort (on a scale from 1-10, e.g. [9] means “very hard”). Following these details carefully helps you target the right intensity and structure to optimize your performance gains.
Recovery Intervals: For interval-based workouts, rest periods are described (e.g., “2 minutes of easy jogging”). These are crucial to let you recover before the next effort.
Cool-Down: Finish your run with an easy jog to allow your body to recover gradually and help clear lactate, aiding in the recovery process and reducing muscle soreness. You can adjust the duration of your cool-down by pressing the lap button when you’re ready to finish, and it’s generally fine to increase the length of your session this way as desired.
RPE Scale: Use the table below as a guide for intensity and click here for more information on RPE.
| RPE | DESCRIPTION |
|---|---|
| 1 | VERY EASY Running is very comfortable–you feel like you are holding back–and you can converse and breath with ease. This level of exertion is almost primarily applied during recovery sections between harder intervals. |
| 2-4 | EASY Your ‘I can do this all day’ pace. Effort is light and you can maintain the pace without much strain, holding a conversation with fellow runners. |
| 5-6 | MODERATE A somewhat challenging yet sustainable pace with noticeably deeper and more rhythmic breathing, signaling a shift beyond the aerobic threshold. You can still hold a conversation with some effort. |
| 7 | HARD A (comfortably) hard effort, breathing is pronounced and rapid, marking the anaerobic threshold. Talking has become more difficult and in short sentences. |
| 8-9 | VERY HARD A high-intensity effort with heavy and labored breathing. Talking is reduced to single words. |
| 10 | NEAR MAX Near maximum effort where running is at or above VO2max; breathing is rapid, deep, and intense. You cannot talk. |
Syncing Workouts with Your Device
To make following your workouts even easier, you can sync them directly to your device (e.g., Garmin, Coros, or Apple). This allows you to get step-by-step prompts and track your progress in real time. Check out the syncing guides for your specific device here:
Garmin: Link
Coros: Link
Apple: Link
Polar: Link
Suunto: Link
Other: Link
Ready, Set, Go!
By understanding and following these instructions, you’ll get the most out of your Moonshot Run Club workouts. Remember to adjust warm-ups and cool-downs as needed, sync your sessions with your device, and focus on the effort cues to optimize your training. If you have questions, feel free to reach out—we’re here to help you hit your goals!
