Ever see a fat sprinter? Didn’t think so.
Until recently, the last time I had even considered doing a sprint — an intentional wind sprint — was probably right around the 6th grade. Back then, if I remember correctly, I think we were timed in such things as part of the phys. ed curriculum. (“Curriculum” being used loosely.)
Mind you there wasn’t any actual sprint training going on, per se. The goal was simply to find out how fast you could run 40 yards — though, in thinking about it now, I’m not entirely sure why. Something about the President’s Fitness something-or-other. (Yeah…like I’m sure the athletic ability of some kid from New Jersey was high on Reagan’s priority list.)
However… turns out my phys. ed. teacher may have been on to something, though he probably didn’t know it.
Some background info: I’ve been doing interval workouts for some time, but I really got turned on to outside speed work about 3 months ago. In the past, intervals for me consisted largely of aerobic exercise at around 80-90 percent of capacity done for 30 seconds, followed by a minute or so of rest, and then repeated 8-12 times. This was done mostly on indoor equipment: elliptical trainer, treadmill and stationary bike.
With the equipment I never really felt like I was improving, but the improvements come quick when you add in sprints. I mentioned in an earlier post that I’ve lost about 10 pounds in the last 2 months. Along with dietary changes, I credit the addition of sprints to my routine for the drop in poundage.
Nothing against elliptical trainers…or treadmills…or stationary bikes, but there’s something primal about running hard in short bursts outdoors. Turns out it’s a great way to burn fat and get lean, in addition to some wonderful cardio benefits.
- Short sprinting sessions get you fit in less time. A recent study measured the results of of athletes that performed between 4 and 6 30 second sprints against those that just exercised at a reduced intensity for 90 minutes or more. After only two weeks the interval group showed a comparable level of fitness to the 90 minute group.
- Sprinting is a full body workout, in minutes. See how you feel the morning following your first sprinting session. You’ll know what I mean by “full body” because the aches will be everywhere. To go from a relative standstill, to full-out exertion in one step, requires the recruitment of all your muscles to get the job done.
- Plus, sprinting improves your aerobic capacity, fat burning ability, and helps to build muscle.
Not bad for something we all used to do naturally as kids, right? Done once or twice a week, it’s a great complement to your life wellness and fitness routine.
Here’s how I usually go about it:
After a quarter mile jog around the track to warm up (in my Vibram Five Fingers,) I head over to the neighboring football field. Then, from the one yard line I’ll run at about 60 percent capacity for 50 yards. Next rep will be around 75-80 percent, and the third will be a full out sprint. I’ll repeat the full sprint 6 or 7 times, with a 15 second rest in between, then jog another quarter mile as a cool down.
Though it doesn’t sound like much, it’s a lot of exertion and I can assure you that my tank is empty by the time it’s done.
Variations to this workout can be to lengthen the distance run, taking more time between reps, running up hills… and the list goes on. The important concept here is the interval: full exertion followed by rest, then repeated. All the fitness gains in a fraction of the time.
If you haven’t run in a while — and especially if you haven’t even exercised in a while — then I recommend you take this very slowly. Maybe you only do 1 or 2 sprints in the first week at 60 percent capacity, or maybe not even that. You’ll find that you quickly work your way up.
Photo by dlritter at stock.xchng
Tags: fitness, health, life wellness, speed work, sprinting workout
