Should You Be Sprinting

Sprinting, running and jogging are very different activities. Jogging and running can be done for long distances, or time, while sprinting is meant to be done at distances of 400 meters or less. It is a very competitive sport in its own right but is also a component of many other sports such as football, basketball, baseball, etc. However, sprinting is not just for competitors. You can add it to your own workouts and see some fantastic things happen.

The Many Benefits

Here are some of the top reasons sprinting is great for you:

• Burn fat fast — Sprinting is high intensity and can burn a lot of calories in a short amount of time.
• Increase your endurance — You'll work harder and improve your conditioning.
• Improves your cardiovascular health — Work that heart harder to get it stronger. Also improves circulation and lung function.
• Increased insulin sensitivity — Your body will use energy more efficiently and burn more fat.
• Saves time.

Where to Start

Don't just go out and start running as fast as you can. Sprinting form is different than the form you use when running for distance. You may need to practice with some form running drills such as high knees, butt kicks, skips and carioca to learn how your foot should land during sprinting as well as proper arm movement. Consider hiring a coach to teach you how to do these properly to avoid injury.

Once your form is down, you want to ease into it. Start with short distances, or time, and don't go all out. Gradually increase your speed until you are really pushing yourself. If you try to go all out the first time, you may hurt yourself. And when you do go out, try to avoid the pavement. It's really hard on your body.

Warm up for a good 10 to 15 minutes with light jogging or brisk walking to get your body prepped for sprints. Then, once you get going, listen to your body. Don't try to power through if you are feeling fatigued. Let your body get used to it, then you can start pushing that fatigue point. Cool down by walking and then take the time to stretch.

Sample Workout

To keep it easy, you can try sprinting Tabata style. However, if you've never done this type of training, and/or you've never sprinted, this may be too challenging to start. In that case, you can double or triple the rest periods, and cut the repetitions. Tabata is a four-minute high-intensity workout. It involves 20 seconds of work followed by 10 seconds of rest, repeated for eight intervals. The short rest periods really push your cardiovascular system, and you burn a lot of calories in those few minutes. You can adjust the intervals as needed, but this can get you started using time rather than distance for your sprinting.