Sprinting Exercises to Improve Your Running Speed
Sprinting exercises are an indisputable option for a high degree of intensity and comprehensive toning, through short periods of activity. This is because there are two determinants to keep in mind when designing an exercise routine: the number of muscles involved and the time it takes to do it.
Firstly, do you know what sprinting is? It’s a sort of mini race at the maximum speed a given individual can sustain. Likewise, its importance lies in improving a person’s endurance, mental health, circulatory system, and, above all, speed.
It’s time to learn how to prepare for sprinting; the recommended exercises vary in difficulty and the general benefits of their conscientious application in your routine are many. Don’t miss out!
Get ready for sprinting exercises
The best way to prepare is by doing static and dynamic stretching phases, five minutes each. It’s key to restrict yourself to between four or five minutes at the beginning of the warm-up because the stretching will reduce its effectiveness if you exceed that time.
In addition to this, have a general medical checkup to find out if your body is in the right shape to regularly engage in sprinting exercises if you’re over the age of 40.
Read about how Running for One Hour a Day Makes You Live Longer
Sprinting exercises for beginners
The first of these sprinting exercises is to prepare the body for the sustained tension of the muscles that you’ll gradually increase.
- The warm-up consists of dynamic stretching (walking and even jogging are acceptable for those who have some sporting experience), the recommended warm-up time is between five and seven minutes
- Run with controlled intensity, 30 seconds of sprinting at an approximate intensity of 60%
- Physical recovery is about slowing down the running momentum and a 120-second walk
- Breathing must be fluid with long ranges of inhalation and exhalation
- Do a second run with controlled intensity, 30 seconds of running at 70% intensity
- Then, do the second physical replenishment, a 120-second walk
- The third run with controlled intensity demands 30 seconds of running at an intensity varying between 80 and 85%
- Then, the third physical recovery consists of slow jogging for 60 seconds followed by a walk of 60 seconds
- Finally, repeat the last stretch and continue for about 20 minutes
Medium difficulty
You might want to move on to the next level once your beginner sprinting exercises become too easy. Repeat the sequence but alter the running and recovery times as follows:
- Warm-up for five minutes either through walking or jogging at a slow pace
- Then, run with a controlled intensity by sprinting for 40 to 45 seconds at an intensity of 80%
- Then, jog for 60 seconds to recover and then do 60 seconds of fast walking (you may do 120 seconds)
- Repeat the sequence for 25 to 30 minutes
High difficulty
This level of difficulty mixes high running intensity, longer activity time, and reduced recovery. You must execute it step by step:
- Jog to warm-up for five minutes
- Sprint with controlled intensity for 45 or 50 seconds at 85% of your power
- Rest by walking for 60 seconds
- Repeat the cycle for about 30 to 35 minutes
Find out what are The Best Dynamic Stretches Before Running
What are the benefits of sprinting exercises for the body?
These exercises can help improve your lifestyle and performance when you adhere to a regular routine. Thus, the main benefits are:
- Increased speed. The refinement of the muscle groups used during sprinting makes the movement mechanisms more precise and increases the speed.
- Added endurance. The sequence of short bursts and interspersed rests ultimately allows faster recovery. This, in turn, reflects greater endurance in other activities in which there are short periods of time for physical replenishment.
- Extended muscle mass. According to the American Council on Exercise, sprint exercises promote the preservation of type 2 muscle tissue, which humans lose when they age. As you can see, the proficiency of the muscular mass extends through old age.
- Calorie burning. According to studies in regard to the benefits of high-intensity sprinting in short periods of time, you burn more calories with these in comparison to doing so for moderate periods of time.
Ways to include sprinting exercises in the routine
You can include them at the beginning or final phase of an exercise routine so that they serve as a peak performance modifier.
In addition, you can start with 60-yard sprints and varying the lapses of rest or with a 20-minute beginner workout. This is to see whether it would be feasible to increase the intensity of pre-existing conditioning.
As a final recommendation, skip sprinting exercises if you have any musculoskeletal injuries. Also, consult your doctor before you get into this kind of routine if you have any cardiac problems.
To conclude, don’t increase the intensity without first testing your body’s response to lower intensities. It all requires patience and consistency.
All cited sources were thoroughly reviewed by our team to ensure their quality, reliability, currency, and validity. The bibliography of this article was considered reliable and of academic or scientific accuracy.
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- Vollaard N y Metcalfe R. La investigación sobre los beneficios para la salud del entrenamiento de intervalos de velocidad debe centrarse en protocolos con menos y más cortos sprints. 2017. Disponible en: https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007%2Fs40279-017-0727-x