If you want an efficient way to burn calories, increase your cardiovascular and muscular endurance, and take your physical fitness to the next level, then consider adding sprints and intervals to your workout routine.
Sprint workouts are a great addition to a cardio or resistance training session. You can customize them based on time, fitness level, intensity, and the space you have available for exercise.
To help get you started, here are some tips and examples of beginner and intermediate to advanced level sprint workouts.
When it comes to adding sprint workouts to your fitness routine, a general rule of thumb is to take it slow.
In other words, don’t add too much, too soon. You want to allow your body time to adapt to the higher intensity and give yourself adequate rest time between workouts.
With that in mind, certified fitness trainer, Emily Fayette of SHRED Fitness, shares these tips for designing a beginner sprint workout.
- Always start with a warmup. “Start with dynamic stretches, speed walking, or a light jog to prepare your muscles for the work that is about to happen,” explains Fayette.
- Grow your workout. Start with shorter sprint segments, followed by double the duration in recovery, or more if needed. For example, sprint 30 seconds at 80 percent of your max effort followed by 60 to 120 seconds of recovery, which could include complete rest, brisk walk, or light jog.
- Allow time for recovery. “Don’t just pull the plug after a tough workout — or any workout. Take time to jog or walk and stretch while your heart rate is coming down,” she adds.
Sample beginner routine
- Warmup: Warm up your body for five minutes with walking, light jogging, or dynamic stretches.
- Sprint: Take your first sprint at a moderate pace, about 50 to 60 percent of your maximum effort. Sprint for 30 seconds.
- Active recovery: Slow down your speed or walk for 60 to 120 seconds.
- Sprint: Sprint for 30 seconds at 70 percent maximum effort.
- Active recovery: Slow down your speed or walk for 60 to 120 seconds.
- Sprint: Sprint for 30 seconds at 80 percent maximum effort.
- Active recovery: Slow down your speed or walk for 60 to 120 seconds.
- Continue this pattern for 20 minutes with the sprint at 80 percent maximum effort.
Whether you’ve mastered the beginner sprints, or you already have experience with these types of workouts, increasing the intensity by manipulating the time is an effective way of taking your sprint workouts to the next level.
Once you’re ready to advance your sprint workouts, Fayette suggests altering the duration of the sprint and lowering the recovery time.
“For example, go back to the beginner workout of 30 seconds at 80 percent of your max effort followed by 60 to 120 seconds of recovery, you can bump the sprint time to 45 seconds, with a 60- to 120-second recovery, or 30 seconds of sprints with 60 to 90 seconds of recovery,” she explains.
Sample next-level routine with an increase in speed intervals
- Warmup: Warm up for five minutes with walking, light jogging, or dynamic stretches.
- Sprint: 45 seconds at 80 percent of your maximum effort.
- Active recovery: Slow down your speed or walk for 60 to 120 seconds.
- Repeat this pattern for 20 to 30 minutes.
Sample next-level routine with a decrease in active recovery time
- Warmup: Warm up for five minutes with walking, light jogging, or dynamic stretches.
- Sprint: 30 seconds at 80 percent of your maximum effort.
- Active recovery: Slow down your speed or walk for 60 to 90 seconds.
- Repeat this pattern for 20 to 30 minutes.
If you’re still not sure about adding sprint intervals to your exercise routine, consider some of these key benefits:
Efficiency
Adding sprints to any workout helps you benefit from high-intensity interval training or HIIT. This type of workout pairs more intense intervals with a low-to moderate-intensity recovery period.
Not only does this save time and boost your cardiovascular fitness, but according to a study in
Improves athletic performance in skilled or trained athletes
Including sprint intervals in your overall fitness routine can help boost athletic performance.
According to a study in the
Preserves muscle mass
Your body is made up of type I and type II muscle fibers.
You recruit type I, or slow-twitch, muscle fibers when running distances or doing longer bouts of cardio.
Type II, or fast-twitch, muscle fibers are what you use when doing sprints.
According to the American Council on Exercise, it’s the type II fibers that enhance muscle definition and gives your legs a lean appearance. Plus, since type II fibers atrophy as you age, performing sprint intervals can help preserve lean muscle mass often lost with age.
Boosts your power
Since sprint training requires quick bursts of energy in an anaerobic state, Fayette says you’ll experience a boost to your strength and speed.
Increases anaerobic threshold
When you increase your anaerobic threshold as you do with sprint training, Fayette points out that this allows your body to work harder for a longer duration of time.
Just like any exercise, there are certain precautions you need to consider before trying a sprint workout.
According to Mayo Clinic, higher intensity, ballistic style workouts like sprint intervals on the track or treadmill aren’t appropriate for people with a musculoskeletal injury, a poor musculoskeletal foundation, or improper movement patterns.
That said, people with these conditions may be able to still benefit from low-impact sprints by exercising on an indoor bicycle, elliptical trainer, or running in the pool.
Running sprints on a track provides a softer surface than hitting the pavement. If you have a quality track nearby, consider doing sprints there.
Some fitness facilities have indoor tracks you can use. Regardless of the terrain, make sure you have supportive running shoes to perform sprints.
Additionally, anyone with heart-related problems should talk with their doctor before trying sprints.
Plus, those new to exercise might benefit from working with a trainer to design a sprint program. The trainer can customize a routine that fits your level and point out any mistakes you’re making with your technique.
Incorporating sprints into your exercise routine is an efficient and effective way to train your anaerobic system, burn calories, and improve the lean muscle mass in your legs.
Since these types of workouts are very demanding, you should only perform sprint intervals two to three days a week.
If you feel pain or discomfort, have difficulty breathing, or feel faint, stop what you’re doing. Talk to your doctor if these symptoms continue to happen.
