Sprinting is a very effective and efficient way to improve your fitness level. Over the past several years there there been several studies that support my feeling that sprinting is the only form of running the vast majority of people should do. In the May 2011 edition of the National Strength and Conditioning Association’s Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research, results of a study done by a team of researchers from Australia provides the basis for a fantastic workout.
I read this stuff so you guys don’t have to. And rather than bore you with the details, I’ll just hit you with the key points.
The findings of the study are that 8 sessions of repeated sprint training over 4 weeks improved Intermittent Peak Running Speed (IPRS), above and beyond regular training. This breaks down to 10 maximal sprints of 80 meters (87 yards) every 25 seconds, twice a week for 4 weeks; a true 10-minute workout. The researchers also found that this kind of training can also develop maximum running speed and anaerobic capacity. This is good stuff. This means you are getting into great shape. This kind of workout puts a fraction of the impact on your body when compared to distance running.
These findings support the, “Quality over quantity,” approach, in that doing more than 10 sprints did not result in any measurable improvements. Ten minutes of high quality exercise is superior to 20- or 30-minutes of sub-maximal effort.
This is all good, no, great news. However, the bad news is that it is very tough for most people to perform a true maximal sprint of any distance, and even tougher to perform repeated 87-yard maximal sprints with only 25-seconds of rest in between. Anyone who has sprinted knows this. And when you realize that it will take most people around 15-seconds to finish this sprint, you can see that this is a butt-kicking workout.
You will derive a great deal of benefit if you start slow and work up to the full workout as used in the study. I recommend starting with 10, 40-yard sprints with 25-seconds rest in between and working up to the full, 87-yard distance. There are many ways that you can do this. You can stick with the 40s, you can mix and match sprints of various distances and keep to the 25-second rest periods, or even use slightly longer rest periods. A good rule of thumb to use is that for every second of sprint, take 4-6 seconds of rest, so if you sprint for 5 seconds rest for 20-30 seconds.
Give the sprint workout a try and improve your speed and fitness level.
The weather is getting nicer, so get off the treadmill, Stair Master, stationary bike and elliptical trainer and get outside where you can actually move the human body the way it’s meant to move. If your goal is to get in great shape so that you can give yourself the chance to look your best, give this sprinting/running routine a try.
Sprinting and agility drills can help you get into better, functional shape than performing any other kind of running drills. However, if you’ve spent a winter working out on cardiovascular equipment or have never really sprinted properly before, you can’t just go out on the first nice spring day and go 100%; you won’t get much out of the workout and could hurt yourself, to boot.
Follow this simple, but effective program and you will be taking a positive step towards turning yourself into a lean, mean, sprinting machine. From a preparation standpoint, jog a lap, do some stretching and perform 4 or 5 30-yard stride outs. Stride outs are a running drill where you utilize a slightly exaggerated running stride – it’s a sub-maximal speed sprint where you put a little extra bounce in your step.
I call this workout, “The 120-Yard Run.” It’s about as simple as you can get. Run 120-yards in 20-seconds and rest for 60-seconds and repeat pattern 5 times the first week, 7 times the second week and 8 times the third week. This is a variation of a routine that I use to condition the teams I work with and is a very effective way to improve your fitness level.
When mixed with a shuttle-run and shorter distance sprint workout, “The 120-Yard Run” will get you in top shape quicker than any other kind of running routine. And you will be functionally fit, as well.
“The 120-Yard Run” is just a part of an overall, sprint/shuttle run/agility program that will do much more to improve your conditioning in a fraction of the time it takes to complete a traditional, low-intensity/high-volume aerobic workout. Sprinting also puts much less stress on your joints and connective tissue because you are literally taking a fraction of the strides in a sprint workout that are required to complete a jogging/distance running workout. Running produces impact forces on your body equal to three times your body weight, and a jogger will take upwards of 120 strides per minute. If you do the math – body weight x strides taken/per minute x total minutes – you will find jogging puts an astronomical amount of potentially damaging stress on the body.
Over the next few weeks, as we enter spring and – hopefully – great weather, I will post details about the other elements in this program so you can get a head start on getting into great shape as we head into the summer.
