{"id":418620,"date":"2026-01-17T07:30:09","date_gmt":"2026-01-17T07:30:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/418620\/"},"modified":"2026-01-17T07:30:09","modified_gmt":"2026-01-17T07:30:09","slug":"this-5-x-5-workout-is-a-simple-way-to-build-10k-fitness","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/418620\/","title":{"rendered":"This \u201c5 x 5\u201d workout is a simple way to build 10K fitness"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>The 5 x 5 is a simple speed workout you can repeat through a training block without overthinking it. Coach and writer Mario Fraioli, host of <a href=\"https:\/\/themorningshakeout.com\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">The Morning Shakeout <\/a>podcast, says it\u2019s a favourite he often uses with his athletes.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone wp-image-112047 size-full lazyload\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/person-sprinting-on-bridge.jpg\" alt=\"person sprinting on bridge\" width=\"724\" height=\"483\"  data- style=\"--smush-placeholder-width: 724px; --smush-placeholder-aspect-ratio: 724\/483;\"\/><\/p>\n<p>This workout has a lot of appeal, especially once you have tried it. The reps are long enough that you have to work, but not so long that you feel like you\u2019re hanging on for dear life. It\u2019s also flexible, and you can do it on the road, <a href=\"https:\/\/runningmagazine.ca\/sections\/training\/this-10k-workout-is-a-great-indicator-of-marathon-fitness\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">on dirt<\/a>, on a loop in the park or anywhere you can run steadily for five minutes without constantly dodging stoplights.<\/p>\n<p>Your overall fitness is getting tested here. \u201cIt\u2019s really hard to fake your way through 25 minutes of work at this intensity,\u201d Fraoli says. \u201cNailing this simple-but-not-easy session will give your fitness a nice boost and also help you develop the mental toughness to keep running hard when you\u2019d otherwise let yourself off the hook.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone wp-image-128176 size-large lazyload\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/GettyImages-1291853060-1024x683.jpg\" alt=\"runner on roads\" width=\"788\" height=\"526\"  data- style=\"--smush-placeholder-width: 788px; --smush-placeholder-aspect-ratio: 788\/526;\"\/><\/p>\n<p>The workout<\/p>\n<p>Warm up with 15\u201330 minutes of easy running.<\/p>\n<p>Drills: Run 20-second strides (accelerate for 5 seconds, spend the next 10 seconds at near-top speed and then gradually decelerate to a jog over the final 5 seconds). Catch your breath for 40-60 seconds and then repeat 3-5 more times.<\/p>\n<p>Main set: Run 5 x 5 minutes at 8K-10K effort\/pace, with 2-3 minutes of easy running in between. Cool down with 5-10 minutes of easy running.<\/p>\n<p>Feeling like this is a bit much to take on? Just take out a few reps, and add them back in as you get stronger.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone wp-image-107857 size-full lazyload\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/woman-running-fast-at-sunset.jpg\" alt=\"woman running fast at sunset\" width=\"724\" height=\"482\"  data- style=\"--smush-placeholder-width: 724px; --smush-placeholder-aspect-ratio: 724\/482;\"\/><\/p>\n<p>Where to do it<\/p>\n<p>Roads, trails <a href=\"https:\/\/runningmagazine.ca\/trail-running\/trail-training-tips-every-beginner-should-know\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">or grass<\/a> are all surfaces for this one, especially since the effort stays the same even if the terrain changes. Fraioli notes it works just as well on a track or treadmill.<\/p>\n<p>Follow this session with a recovery day\u2014either very easy running or full rest.<\/p>\n<p>\tRaces Near You<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align:center\"><a href=\"https:\/\/raceguide.ca\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\"> Visit the Raceguide for a full list of events near you.<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The 5 x 5 is a simple speed workout you can repeat through a training block without overthinking&hellip;\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":418621,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[37],"tags":[220633,64,63,538,137,220634,220635,220636,220637],"class_list":{"0":"post-418620","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-fitness","8":"tag-5-x-5-workout","9":"tag-au","10":"tag-australia","11":"tag-fitness","12":"tag-health","13":"tag-marco-fraoli","14":"tag-speedwork-basics","15":"tag-speedwork-for-runners","16":"tag-the-morning-shakeout"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/418620","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=418620"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/418620\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/418621"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=418620"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=418620"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=418620"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}