Cardio Sprint Workout

If you want to achieve fitness goals faster, consider adding sprint training to your schedule. Adding intervals of faster sprints intermixed with slower intervals can give you impressive results. Sprint workouts are great for people who don't have time for long, steady, endurance exercise but want the same (or better) cardiovascular benefits.

How to Do Sprints

Sprinting does not only refer to running, it can be applied to any aerobic activity where there is a change in intensity. The key to sprinting is to do an activity at a certain percentage of your max effort in order to increase your heart rate.

Do sprint workout routines three times a week, with at least one or two days in between for rest or another easy exercise.

1. 1. Warm up. Before sprints, warm up thoroughly with easy exercise for five to 10 minutes. Perform the same exercise you will be using for your sprints.
   2. Do your first sprint. Perform your first sprint at about 60% max intensity. If you feel any muscle tightness or joint pain, back off and continue to warm up.
   3. Recover. Recover for four minutes by slowing to a comfortable pace, but keep moving.
   4. Do your second sprint. Perform your next sprint at about 80% max intensity.
   5. Recover. Recover for four minutes.
   6. Do your third sprint. Perform the remainder of your sprints at 100% max intensity or all-out efforts of 30 seconds. You should be pushing yourself to the max for each one.
   7. Recover. Recover for four minutes after each sprint to allow your breathing and heart rate to slow to the point that you can hold a conversation without gasping.
   8. Repeat. Repeat the sprint/recovery routine four to eight times depending on your level and ability. For your first workout, you will want to stop at four sprints. Try to gradually build up to eight.

Benefits of Sprints

Both elite athletes and recreational exercisers can see benefits from sprint training. This type of training can enhance endurance performance. In one study, participants who completed eight weeks of sprint interval training saw an improvement in their maximal oxygen uptake, which is a way to measure cardiovascular fitness.

Interval training, which consists of short bouts of intense exercise, is just as effective as several weeks of traditional endurance training when it comes to improving muscle health and performance.

Other findings have shown that short, high-intensity exercise burns more calories than the same amount of moderate-level cardio exercise.1 This means that you can lose weight faster by doing short bursts of high-intensity exercise rather than by doing the same amount of moderate exercise.

Other Variations of Sprints

How you structure your sprinting routine depends on what fitness goals you have. Factors that will determine the intensity, duration, and number of sprints include the intensity of your sprints, how long you sprint, and how many sprints you perform.

Beginners

If you are new to sprinting, you should start slowly to avoid injury. First, focus on building up your overall fitness level before adding sprinting to your routine. When you are ready to start sprinting, begin with one set of four sprint/rest cycles. Once you reach your fitness goals, you can add more sprints to each set, or add another set of sprints.

Intermediate

If you start doing sprint exercises, it won't be long before you're ready to move on to a more advanced level. As you do sets of sprints, try doing more at different intensity levels. But don't do sprint exercises more than a few times a week or your body won't have enough time to recover.

Advanced

More advanced athletes may want to consider increasing the intensity or number of reps in their sprint routine. One way to do this is by adding resistance, such as running or cycling uphill, or wearing wrist and ankle weights while skating. Swimmers can also use resistance-building techniques to focus on either the upper or lower body.

Common Mistakes

One of the most common mistakes that sprinters make is starting the sprint too hard. This can cause them to burn out before the end of the sprint, leading to a slower time. Another mistake that sprinters make is advancing too quickly. This can cause them to lose form and waste energy, both of which can lead to a slower time. Finally, sprinters can make the mistake of doing too many sprints for too long. This can lead to fatigue and increase the risk of injury.

If you want to get the most benefit from your aerobic activity, make sure to take breaks between sprints. A study published in Biology of Sport found that not taking enough breaks between sprints can make it difficult to perform as well during the sprint phase.4 Not getting enough rest means you won't be able to get as much benefit from the same amount of effort.

Safety and Precautions

Sprint workouts can be done while running, swimming, cycling, or almost any other cardiovascular exercise. The following precautions should be considered before adding sprint training to your schedule:

• Safety: Because sprinting is a high-intensity exercise, it is recommended that you check with a healthcare professional and review the physical activity readiness questionnaire (PAR-Q) before beginning a sprint workout.
• Base fitness: It's also important to have a strong base of fitness in the activity you are using for sprints. To build a base of fitness, follow the 10% rule, and gradually increase your training volume.
• Frequency: Because of the intensity of sprint workouts, most athletes shouldn't do sprint work more than three times a week.
• Muscle soreness: Launching into a sprint program may be difficult or cause delayed onset muscle soreness (DOMS) if you haven't done much training prior to trying sprints. Experts recommend having about three to four weeks of base fitness before beginning.

Before your sprint workout, be sure to complete a thorough warmup to avoid injury.

How to Build a Treadmill Sprint Workout

You shouldn't try a treadmill sprint workout if you're new to running because it's easy to get injured. Norris recommends waiting at least six months before trying a sprint workout.

You can try interval sprints early on in your running career, but Nurse says to go about it gradually. First, warm up with a light jog. Then, after 7-10 minutes, pick up the pace for 10-20 seconds to a speed that's about 30 seconds per mile faster than your normal pace. After that, slow back down to a walking pace. If that feels manageable, repeat 4-5 times. This type of workout will help you work your way into sprints without pushing you to your all-out max effort, which can be overwhelming and lead to injury.

Set Your Speed

If you regularly run outdoors and consider yourself to be of an intermediate level, you might be surprised by how much slower your sprint speed is on the treadmill. Norris explains that this is because “runners tend to take longer strides on the treadmill, and they'll take shorter, faster strides outside.” In addition to this, “some people have the tendency to sit back on the treadmill, while most people lean slightly forward outside.” Although these differences might appear to be small, they can actually have a significant impact on your running speed indoors.

How to determine your sprint pace: 1. Determine your “easy pace”, or the speed at which you can still carry on a conversation comfortably. This would be considered a 3-4 out of 10 on the effort scale. 2. For your sprint, you should aim to hit a speed that feels really fast, but doesn't require all of your energy. This would be considered a 9 out of 10 on the effort scale.

It is always best to start your sprints at a speed that is slightly slower than what you think you can run. This will allow you to maintain good form and avoid injury.

After doing a few sprints at a slower speed, check how you feel. If it feels like a challenge, that's a good speed for you to be at. If it doesn't, you can bump up the speed by 0.5 mph each interval.

Decide the Length and Number of Your Sprints

You will want to sprint for 20 to 30 seconds to get the benefits but not so long that you will start to use your anaerobic energy system. This system creates lactic acid that eventually makes you feel fatigued. If you are trying to hit your absolute maximum speed, the longest you will be able to stick to it is for about 45 seconds. This is when you will hit the lactate threshold.

“Type IIa fibers can maintain a higher power output for a longer period of time before tiring.” You will need to rest and build up energy for the next sprint by following a 4:1 rest-to-work ratio. This means if you're sprinting for 30 seconds, you should rest for two minutes in between. The amount of time you need to rest between sets will decrease the more experienced you are. According to Norris, the reason the rest intervals are so long is because sprinting recruits type-IIx muscle fibers which have a high power output but also tire quickly. Type IIa fibers can maintain a higher power output for a longer period of time before tiring.

The number of sprints you do in a typical treadmill sprint workout depends on your experience level. A beginner runner should aim to do four to five sprints with recovery jogs in between, while an advanced runner might strive for 10, explains Norris.

Add Incline

The following text provides information on the best way to sprint on a treadmill. It is recommended that people sprint on a 1 percent incline to reduce the impact on the feet and lower the risk of injury.

According to Norris and Nurse, for each sprint you should set your incline to 5 or 6 percent (i.e.feel like you're going uphill) and 2 to 5 percent respectively. These suggest levels mimic natural hills you'd come across during an outdoor race. Start your sprints on a lower incline and slowly increase it to meet your comfort level and running style.

If you want to improve your speed, try sprinting on a treadmill once a week in addition to your other runs.

Try It Out

The goal is to do this workout six times in two weeks, then back off to twice a week for maintenance for six to eight weeks before you change your workout. On the days following your sprint workout, aim for 20–30 minutes of the same aerobic activity at a lower intensity to help with recovery but maintain your results.

If you're happy with your results, you can keep doing this workout. But it's a good idea to change up your workouts every few months and throughout the year. Tweak the routine as you like to find what works best for you.