Sprinting to Get That Lean, Hard Body!

Think about the Summer Olympic Games and the type of athletes who compete in the Track and Field 100m sprint finals. Whether you have the awesome opportunity of attending the Olympic Games in person or watch it on television, one of the first things you’ll likely notice as the sprinters come to the blocks for the start of the race, is how lean and muscular these athletes are! And then you may begin to wonder, “How are these athletes so lean and muscular? What is it about their training that gives them this look? Would it be possible for me to be leaner and more muscular if I trained like them?”

Well, if you’re not an Olympian, you probably aren’t training with the same volumes and intensities as these champion athletes. Thus, you may not ever be quite as lean and muscular as these world-class athletes. However, training in a similar fashion can definitely help you achieve a leaner, more muscular body.

Sprinting is hard work and should not be implemented until you have achieved some degree of muscular strength and fitness, but sprinting can still be scaled for most fitness enthusiasts.   Tweet This!

In addition to making sure you are physically fit enough to sprint, you must make sure the surface you are sprinting on is smooth and free of holes and divots. You will need to be thoroughly warmed up with a dynamic warm-up that adequately prepares you for the intensity of sprinting – keeping you injury free.

The benefits of sprinting are multi-faceted. When sprinting, you will utilize nearly every muscle of your body, generating muscle contractions with tremendous speed and force.   Tweet This! This activity can help you build quality muscle throughout your body while expending a great deal of calorie-burning energy.

Because of the volume of muscle used and the high calorie expenditure, sprinting boosts your metabolism for a minimum of four to six hours after training.   Tweet This! Some research indicates this type of anaerobic training may even boost your metabolism for 16-18 hours after a workout. This is when the true fat burning of sprinting has its greatest effect. You will be burning calories far above normal levels to help in the recovery process and to replace the vast amount of stored muscle glycogen used during sprint exercises.

When first starting out with a sprint program, it is important to remember that less is more. Shorter distances and lower volume of reps is best while acclimating yourself to sprinting. Each sprint should be at (or near) maximum speed after your completed dynamic warm-up.  After each sprint, you would walk back to the starting line and start the next sprint as soon as you catch your breath (and feel you like you can talk in complete sentences).

So, let’s discuss some sample training routines that work well for various fitness levels.

BEGINNER: Building up conditioning for more extensive sprinting

BEGINNER, cont.: Increased distance and volume while still building a base

LEAN AND MUSCULAR FOUNDATION

These workouts are for a new person who has never sprinted before. They may seem easy at first, but will start to feel quite challenging as the program continues. If at any time one week seems unusually difficult, then go back a week or two and stay there for a couple more weeks before continuing to move up the progressions. No one gets out of shape in one day, so be patient with the process of building to the next level in each training progression.   Tweet This! You are not going to get in shape in just one day either.

The next example is for those who may have done a little sprint training in the past through playing various sports like soccer or basketball and are in decent physical conditioning. Again, all workouts should begin with an extensive dynamic warm-up and take place on a quality training surface.

This is a much more challenging training protocol, which will now have much great training variation in repetitions and training distances. Keep in mind that all sprints should be performed with nearly full recovery between each sprint. Again, you should be able to talk in complete sentences before starting the next sprint.

If you are on a track for the 110’s, you can sprint the straightaways and walk the curves, but do not start the next 110 until you catch your breath and can talk in complete sentences. This is a challenging program and is only a suggested format. We have found this type of training to be highly effective at supporting lean muscle gain (in the fitness world).

With a program like this, practicing sound nutrition habits is a must in order to obtain the maximum benefits.   Tweet This! Check out various recovery supplements and select those that work best for you to help support the recovery process along the way.

Enjoy the results with your hard work and the right nutrition!

Sports Advisory Council Members are compensated for their role on the AdvoCare Sports Advisory Council. 

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