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Training Nutrition Supplements Miscellaneous Translations

FortheLoveofSprints
SaveTime,GetLean&ImproveSportsPerformanceWithThese8GreatSprint
Workouts
ByPoliquinGroupEditorialStaff
11/5/20133:57:00PM

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Whodoesntloveagoodsprint?WhetheryouredoingthemyourselforwatchingUsainBoltandAllysonFelix
torchingupthetrack,sprintingisawondrousexperience.Yes,theymightmakeyoudoubtyourself,orevencry
onoccasion,butyoufeelsogoodafterwardsthattheyreworththepain.

Thentheresthebodycompositionandhealthpayoffsofpoweringthroughregularspeedworkouts,making
sprintingoneofthebesthabitstohave.Thisarticlewilltellyouwhatyoullgetoutofsprintingandhowtodoit,
withspecificprotocolsfordifferentconditioninglevels.Youllalsogetafewcrosstrainingintervalworkoutsfor
variety.

#1:Thewelltested20minute,8secondson,12secondsrest,cycleprotocol.

Benefits:Losefat,improveinsulinhealth,buildmuscle,andincreasepower.

WhositFor:Newbies

Studiesperformedonbothmenandwomenshowthatan8secondson,12secondsactiverestcycleprotocol
repeated60timesfor20minuteswillleadtosignificantfatloss.

Forexample,whenoverweightyoungwomendidthisprotocolthreetimesaweekfor15weeks,theylostan
averageof2.5kgofbodyfat.Theyalsolost0.15kgofvisceralbellyfat,whichlookslikeasmallamountbutis
significantduetoitslocationaroundtheorgans.Inyoungmen,similarresultswereseenwithanaverageloss
of2kgofbodyfatand0.14kgofbellyfat.
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averageof2.5kgofbodyfat.Theyalsolost0.15kgofvisceralbellyfat,whichlookslikeasmallamountbutis
significantduetoitslocationaroundtheorgans.Inyoungmen,similarresultswereseenwithanaverageloss
of2kgofbodyfatand0.14kgofbellyfat.

Thisstudywasnoteworthybecausetheleanerwomenwithinthegrouplostlessfatthanthosewhoweremore
overweight.Withthefourleanestwomenremovedfromcalculations,averagefatlosswas4kg,suggestingthat
thisprotocoliswellworththeeffortifyoureoverweightandwanttoimprovehealth.

Theintervaltraineesmetabolismwasalsorevvedupbytheendofthestudyasseenbylowerfastinginsulin
levelsanddecreasesinconcentrationofthehormoneleptin.

UseIt:Aquickandpotent8s.on/12s.offprotocolisidealifyouarenewtointervaltrainingorhavenotbeen
engagedinintensetrainingrecently.Longerintervalsareindicatedfortrainedindividuals,althoughthatdoesnt
meanyoucouldntusethisprotocolforafewweeksforvariety.

#2:FourminuteTabatatrainingorasingle2minutemaximalsprint.

Benefits:Elevatemetabolism,boostinsulinhealth,andimprovegenesignaling.

WhositFor?Peoplewhohavezerotimetotrainbutknowhowtopushthemselvesmaximally.

Scientistshavebeenbusytryingtodeterminetheleastpossibleamountofexercisenecessarytoachieve
metabolicandhealthresults.Theyrefindingthattinyboutsofintenseexercisemakeabigdifferenceforhealth
andwellbeing.

OnerecentstudycomparedtheWingateprotocol(see#4)withasingleextended2minutemaximalsprintand
foundthatbothimprovedinsulinsensitivitythesameamount.Theprotocolswerematchedforvolume,resulting
inthesamecaloricburnduringexercise.

Itwaswhathappenedinthe24hoursafterexercisethatwasdifferent:TheWingategrouphad63percenthigher
fatoxidationandtheextendedsprintgroupused38percentgreaterfatforfuelintheimmediatepostexercise
period.

So,eventhoughaWingateprotocolisgoingtoboostmetabolismmoreduetoitbeingmorestressfultothe
body,doingasingle2minutemaximaleffortworkoutisworthit.

Otherbenefitsshowveryshortalloutworkoutsimprovegenesignalingandcanswitchonapathwayinthe
bodythatislinkedtotissuerepairandmusclebuilding.

Tabatatraining,whichisa4minutesetwith20secondsmaximaleffortand10secondsrest,isalsousefulfor
varietybecauseyoucandoitwithsprints,asledorotherstrongmanexercise,orbodyweightexercises.

Asingle4minutesetofbodyweightsquatjumpsrevsupthemetabolismsothatparticipantsburnanaverage
of60caloriesduringtheworkout(itwouldtakeabout20minutesorfourtimeslongertoburnthatamountwith
casualaerobicexercise)andexperiencedoublecalorieburninginthe30minutepostworkoutperiod(80
caloriesfollowingTabataversus39.5inacontrolgroup).

UseIt:Knowinghowtopushyourselfphysicallyisaskill.Maximalefforttrainingisforpeoplewhohavethis
skill(acasualapproachdoesntcutithere).

AnotherapplicationofTabataandsingleallouteffortsistodoitmultipletimesthroughoutthedayifyouvegot
adeskjob.Youllboostmetabolism,getyourbrainworkingbetter,andliveamoreancestrallife.

#3:MultisetTabataof4setsfor20minutesinadditiontoregularlifting.

Benefits:Increasedmetabolism,largeenergyuse,robustlactatebuildupandhormoneresponse,muscle
building,andfatloss.

WhositFor:Anyonewithtechnicaltrainingskillwhoprefersexercisestosprintsformetabolicconditioning.

A4mintueTabataworkoutisunlikelytoproducesignificantfatlossunlessyoumodifyyourdietdramatically.A
moresurefirewayistodo4setsofTabatabecauseyoullexperienceagreatermetaboliceffectandincrease
growthhormonelevels,whichleadtomuchgreaterfatburning.

Forexample,arecentstudytestedavarietyofexercisesinaTabataformatinwhicheachexercisewasdonein
20secondsegmentsforaminuteandthenanewexercisewasstarted.Theexercisesincludedhighkneerun,
jumprope,burpees,mt.climbers,plankpunch,Russiantwists,pushups,jacks,squats,splitsquats,skaters,
lunges,andboxjumps.

Energyexpenditurerangedfrom240to360caloriesfortheworkoutandledtoasignificantaccumulationof
lactate,whichcorrelateswithgrowthhormonerelease.Moreadvancedtraineescandoasimilarworkoutby
addingdumbbells,aweightedvest,ordesigningabarbellcomplextoapplyadditionaloverloadforagreaterfat
burning,musclebuildingeffect.

UseIt:Usethe20minuteTabataasabodycompworkout2to4timesaweek,dependingonifyouredoing
regularstrengthtraining.Bodyweightexercisesareidealfornovicetraineesorwhenyoulackequipment.

Moreadvancedtraineeswillbenefitfromgreateroverload,orifyouregymless,gotoaparkandinterspersehill
sprintswiththebodyweightexercisesusedabove.

#4:ThewellknownWingateprotocol(4to6x30s.alloutsprints).
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#4:ThewellknownWingateprotocol(4to6x30s.alloutsprints).

Benefits:Losefat,targetfasttwitchfibers,improveinsulinsensitivity,andboostendurance.

WhositFor:Intermediatetraineeswhosefocusisbodycompandathleteswhoneedtogetinshapequickly.

ThewellknownWingateprotocol,whichuses30secondmaximalintervals,allowedonegroupofstudy
participantstoloseanaverage12.4percentofbodyfat.Theyalsoimprovedtimetrialperformanceona2000
meterrunby4.6percentof25.6seconds.

Notonlydidsprinttrainingleadtoanaverage1.6kgofbodyfatlossinsixweeks,participantsalsogained0.6
kgofmuscleforabetterbodycomposition.Scientiststhinkspringtrainingissoeffectivebecauseitcause
increasetheamountofoxygenusedduringthepostworkoutrecoveryperiod,whichpromotesalargerenergy
deficit.

Inaddition,intervaltrainingincreasestheactivityofenzymesandproteinsinvolvedinfatburningandthe
transportofatintomitochondria,leadingtobodyfatloss.

TheWingateprotocolalsohelpsathletesgetinshape:Division1soccerplayersimprovedconditioningby42
percentmorethanagroupofplayerswhodidendurancerunning.

UseIt:Wingateistheperfectworkouttoaddtoastrengthtrainingprotocolorsportpracticesifyourgoalisfat
lossandconditioning.Take6weeksanddo3sprintworkoutsaweektogetleanandshredded.Ifyouwantto
crosstrain,theWingateprotocolcanalsobedoneonarowingmachineorbike.

#5:Longdurationintervalswith1:1worktorestratio.

Benefits:Endurance,conditioning,greaterlungcapacity,fatloss

WhositFor:Athletesandadvancedtrainees

Longdurationintervalsarewellknowntoimproveendurancecapacity.Theycanalsobeusedtoimprovebody
compositioniftheyaredoneabovethelactatethresholdsothatarobusthormoneresponseisachieved.

Ifmaximaloxygenuptakeisthegoal,uselongerintervalsat85percentofmaximalspeedfor2to3minutes
witha1:1worktorestratio.

Forfatlossandleanmassgains,youwanttospendasmuchofyourtrainingtimeabovethelactatethreshold
aspossible.

UseIt:Try4X600meterintervalsonatrack,workingupto6repeats.Inonestudythisledtomuchgreater
lactatebuildupthan6X500meterhillintervalsduetohigherabsoluterunningspeedsinthetrackworkout.

#6:Shortdurationsprintsusingstrategiesthatmaximizequalityoverquantity.

Benefits:Speed,conditioning,power,targetfasttwitchfibers,fatloss

WhositFor:Athletesandadvancedtrainees

Shorterdurationintervalsareidealforbodycompositionandsportpreparation.Forfatlossandmusclebuilding
withshortsprints,youllwanttopushintensityandvolume.

AseriesofprotocolsthathavebeentestedonyoungathletesthattriggerapowerfulgrowthhormoneandIGF1
responseaswellasimprovingshortspeedandanaerobicendurancecanbedoneasfollows:

Adecreasingdistanceworkoutonthetrackof400,300,200,and100metersatmaximalintensity.Rest
intervalswereatotalof9minutesinbothprotocolswith4minutesrestfollowingthe400,3minutesrest
followingthe300,and2minutesrestfollowingthe200.

Shuttlesprintsof4X50meters,repeated4to6timeswith2minutesrestbetweensets.

Fourtosixrepeatsof250metersat85percentof100metertime.

UseIt:Justasyouwouldwithstrengthtraining,dosprinttraininginaperiodizedfashion.Usesmallvariations
ofoneprotocolfor2to3weeks.Athleteswhoarepracticingtheirsportcansprinttwiceaweek,whereas
recreationaltraineescansprint2to4timesaweekdependingongoals.

#7:Pyramidtheintensityofsprintstosavetimeandgetmoredonefaster.

Benefits:Increasedmaximaloxygenuptake,endurance,greaterworkcapacity.

WhositFor:Experiencedtraineesfavoringaerobicorrepeatenduranceability.

Faststartintervalsimproveendurancecapacityandallowyoutosavetime:Arecentstudytestedtheeffectof
doingfive30secondsprintsatmaximalspeedfollowedbyfivemoderateintensityrepeats.Bystartingthe
workoutwithabang,traineesspent2.5timeslongerabovethecriticalthresholdwheremaximaloxygen
uptakeisreached.

UseIt:Trypyramidingdowninintensityasyourworkoutprogresses.Noticethatitsasimilartheoryasthe
decreasingdistanceprotocolmentionedin#6,whichhasbeenfoundtofeeleasierthanworkoutsthatincrease
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distanceastheyprogress.
 UseIt:Trypyramidingdowninintensityasyourworkoutprogresses.Noticethatitsasimilartheoryasthe
decreasingdistanceprotocolmentionedin#6,whichhasbeenfoundtofeeleasierthanworkoutsthatincrease
distanceastheyprogress.

#8:Repeatedsupershortsprintsforstrengthandpower

Benefits:Strength,power,anaerobiccapacity,betterenergyuse.

WhositFor:Anaerobicathletessuchasthoseincombatsportslikewrestlersandjudokas.

Supershortsprintsoflessthan5secondspersprintwithminimalrestwillimprovepower.Theyhavealsobeen
foundtoproducethegreatestlactatebuildupofallmeasuredprotocols.

UseIt:Trysixtotenrepeatsof35meteralloutsprintswith10secondsrest.Thatswhatcombatathletesdid
twiceaweekfor4weeksinordertoincreasepeakpowerby16percent,workcapacityby32percent,and
achieveamorefavorabletestosteronetocortisolratio.

#9:Optimizerecovery.Dontoverloadthecentralnervoussystem(CNS).

Benefits:Continuedadaptations,neuromuscularstrength,aresponsiveCNS

WhositFor:CrossFittersandotherhardcoretraineeswhoarepushingvolumeandintensity.

Arecentreviewofsprinttrainingforathletesrevealedthatunliketheboatloadofstudiesbeingdoneonmoderate
volumesprinttraining,therejustisntthatmuchevidenceonhighvolume,highfrequencysprinting.

Manyhardcoreathletesaresprintingtoofrequently,causingdysregulationoftheautonomicnervoussystem.
Whenthishappens,youreincreasingyourheartdiseaseriskandglucosecontrolworsens.Youalsoloseheart
ratevariability,whichiscriticalforhealthandwellbeing.

Ifwelookatsprintingfromanevolutionaryperspective,weseethatourancestorswereexcellentsprinters,but
theyonlydidsowhentheywererunningaftergameorescapingapredator.Anthropologicalstudiessuggest
thatthisdidntoccurdaily,muchlesstwiceaday.

Cavepeopleprobablyonlywentalloutafewtimesweek,doingmoderatetoheavyliftingandlightactivityona
dailybasis.

Inaddition,recentstudiesshowthattheimmediatepostworkoutperiodisakeyrecoverytimeforyournervous
system.Ideally,youdgetpostworkoutnutritionandrecoverytherapyintheformofmassageoractiverelease,
anddominimalactivity.

Butrealworldrecoveryoftenincludesrunningofftowork,pickingupthekids,ordoingsomeothermoderately
tohighlystressactivitythatdoesntallowyournervoussystemtorecoveraseasily.

UseIt:Dontworry.Youcanrecoverandliveabusylife,butonlyifyoutrainwithproperfrequency(2to4sprint
workoutsaweekdependingonstrengthtrainingandsportpractice),eatproperly,getadequatesleep,anduse
theadditionalrecoverymethodsreviewedinthisarticle:

TenPracticalWaysToSpeedRecovery

Copyright2013 Backtotop

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