Running For Burning

Question
Hi there. I usually swim for my regular work out but it's an outdoor pool and the weather's turned cold, so now i'm thinking of running and lifting a few weights but the problem I have is that I usually do the whole running and gyming regimen for 6 to 8 weeks but don't get nearly as ripped as I though while swimming.

- My main concern is burning belly fat and getting abs!
- Then I want to be able to jog or sprint at least 2-3 miles on the treadmill every weekday!
- I was kind of concerned about my calves, but I read your advice to the other guy.
 As for my "specs", I'm 6 foot 1 (1.87m), I weigh about 87kg (I thnk that's about 140 pounds, not sure), I'm 23 years old and I'm of a medium build. I had the surfer/swimmer body but haven't done anything for about 2 months now.

HELP PLEASE!!! PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE HELP ME. I would appreciate any advice on either subject. You seem to know your stuff from the replies I've seen you give! Thanks a  bunch in advance.

                                           Solomon.

Answer
Solomon,
Well, I can tell you that you can easily do a jog/sprint alternation workout on the treadmill for 2-3 miles, although you might be good enough with 1.5 to 2 miles of it when you're done.  A jog/sprint alternation workout is alternating jogging & sprinting times.  Mainly, you'll jog more time than you end up sprinting.  A quick example is 4 minutes jog, 1 minute at a faster pace (not really an all-out sprint, but a very fast 'clip' to go at without toasting out too soon), and repeating that 3-4 times for a 15-20 minute workout.  

If you haven't been used to running, you may want to start out with walking & jogging intervals.  Sounds like swimming is your thing, so if you're not used to actively running often, I'd advise the walk/jog, and progress to a walk/jog/sprint type of workout, then to a jog/sprint workout, over the course of a few weeks.

Well, if you want calves & abs, you need to do what I tell everyone else:  don't forget the rest of the body either.  I'm not a fan of 'body part only' focuses on workouts.  I'm pretty much the type of trainer that prefers to train the body as a whole, in order to balance everything out better.  If your arms are strong, abs are strong, but lower back & legs are weak, your body isn't going to like that discrepancy down the road.  (This is why I'm not a fan of the 'bench & curls' workouts that overemphasize arm exercises, like 3x/week, and legs only once a week if you're lucky)
Sorry for the quick rant there, but it all comes down to training movements to get the most out of a workout for the whole body:  Squat, Lunge, Push, Pull, Bend, & Twist.  Squat & Lunge with lower body, Push & Pull with chest & back exercises, and bend/twist with the midsection.  This covers virtually all the muscle groups to a higher extent than most programs do.  I used to prescribe body parts in a specific order, but saw better results when I started applying exercise order to these 6 basic movements instead.  In order to burn overall body fat (it doesn't come off in certain spots on the body alone!), you need to train the entire body as a whole, another reason I recommend these 6 actions to focus on.  

I can't give you specific responses such as sets/reps or specific exercises to do, because I don't know more details about you & your health history to recommend the right exercises & prescribe the workouts for you.  I can merely just give some suggestions for you to build on, through this type of service.

Rick Karboviak