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FL, Atlantic Beach, Neptune Beach, Ponte Vedra, Sawgrass and the Beaches Area.
Phone (904) 422-6218 		Private Studio One-on-One Personal Fitness Training. Serving the Jacksonville Beaches Area.
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Sprinting as an exercise program

Finally! The mainstream Fitness Media is beginning to write on the very significant benefits of Sprinting as an exercise program. This is long, long, past due. Sprinting is an outstanding exercise regimen and can have a far greater impact on your fitness development than jogging. When you jog you are 90% (or more) in the aerobic energy system and utilizing Type I (slow-twitch/aerobic) muscle fibers. When you sprint, you are forced to use your anaerobic muscle fibers (Type IIA and Type IIB) and not only in your legs. Sprinting is the original CORE exercise. Sprinting is the most fundamental of all athletic endeavor, teaching athletes how to effectively transfer ground forces through the entire Kinetic Chain in order to efficiently propel the body forward. For a minimum amount of time you spend sprinting for yourself or your clients you can replace hours spent in the gym on CORE or Functional exercises.

Sprinting has been proven to have a tremendous impact on your cardio-vascular system, a recent study by McMaster University in Hamilton, Canada, took two groups of moderately active college students. Group one performed sprints and group two performed steady-paced training. The students exercised for only two-four minutes in only six training sessions for two weeks, group one showed a 100% increase in their ability to maintain intense aerobic exercise compared to no increase for group two.

This should come as no surprise to anyone. Higher intensity training for any muscle (don't forget: the heart is a muscle) is going to cause adaptation. Obviously, all the rules you learned on exercise safety and program design in the IFPA Personal Trainer Certification Course still apply: the S.A.I.D. Principle (Specific Adaptation to Imposed Demands) the G.P.O. Principle (Gradual Progressive Overload) the F.I.T.T. Principles (Frequency, Intensity, Time, and Type) and all the safety guidelines you were taught must be closely adhered to, particularly for older clients. Yes, older clients should sprint as well. Remember from previous FITBIT Articles, that as you age your anaerobic, Fast-Twitch Fibers begin to atrophy (what you don't use, you lose!). Sprint training will enable you to use them.

I can hear you thinking "But many of my clients need to lose fat, shouldn't I have them do aerobic exercise for fat loss?" Yes and NO, in the Beginner Training Phase, low intensity aerobic training may be all your client can tolerate, but once you reach a point where they have attained an adequate level of conditioning, sprint training will give them the same elevated metabolism they experience following high intensity strength training. For several hours post sprinting session, your client will be burning calories at a much higher rate. Plus there is at least some preliminary evidence that sprint training causes the body to release anabolic hormones: testosterone and human growth hormone with all the positive physiological and anti-aging effects you are striving for in a workout.

Now I know some of you guys will argue that "I'm addicted to the endorphin highs I get when I jog" and there is nothing wrong with that argument. Instead, think of sprinting workouts as part of your "Variety Training Principles" and sprinting once or twice a week instead of canceling or replacing your jogging or running program.

One other positive motivational benefit you will find with sprinting is that the uncontrollable human urge to beat a STOP-WATCH can help your clients' blast through plateaus and dramatically increase performance. If you train children, you can see even more motivation and performance.

I cannot tell you how many times, after six hours of grueling physical activity, in the heat and humidity of the Florida Sun, I have had children and young adults, from the age of 9-19, beg me if they could please do one more sprint because they know they could beat their time. Parents, coaches, trainers and observers would be in utter astonishment at how these young athletes would practically kill themselves to beat that STOP-WATCH! And I'm not talking about any one's record, but their own. The secret to this level of success is helping them improve.

Just like any other exercise technique you teach your client, sprinting has a technique. It is very unfortunate how few people know proper exercise technique, but it is doubly true of sprinting. Sprinting is the most fundamental of all athletic endeavor and very, very few athletes are taught to sprint correctly.

If you are ready for sprint training I suggest the following program:




WEEK ONE

Warm-up:   10 minutes - Jog (vary intensity from 40-60%/max)
Workout:   Sprint (at 80-90%) 4 Reps for 10-15 seconds
           Walk at slow jog for 5 minutes between reps
Cool Down: 10 minutes - Jog/walk (low intensity, slowing to walk)
STRETCH



WEEK TWO

Warm-up:   10 minutes - Jog (vary intensity from 50-70%/max)
Workout:   Srint (at 85-95%) 5 Reps for 12-15 seconds
           Walk at slow jog for 4 minutes between reps.
Cool Down: 10 minutes - Jog (low intensity, slowing to walk)
STRETCH




WEEK THREE

Warm-up:   10 minutes - Jog (vary intensity from 60-80%/max)
Workout:   Sprint (at 85-100%) 6 Reps for 12-15 seconds
           Walk at slow jog for 4 minutes between reps
Cool Down: 10 minutes - Jog (low intensity, slowing to walk)
STRETCH



WEEK FOUR

Warm-up:   10 minutes - Jog (vary intensity from 60-80%/max)
Workout:   Sprint (at 90-100%) 7 Reps for 15 seconds
           Walk at slow jog for 4 minutes between reps
Cool Down: 10 minutes - Jog (low intensity, slowing to walk)
STRETCH
After week four, you focus on improving time in the sprints by optimizing technique. Two to three sessions/week will be all you need to make great gains. Remember, recovery occurs within 24-48 hours, but as you learned from numerous sessions at the Fitness By The Bay Conference last year, taught by Dr. Wayne Westcott, Dave Sandler and others, adaptation takes longer, usually 72-96 hours after an intense exercise session. By week five you will be operating at maximum intensity, which will require 3-4 days rest for full recovery and adaptation. Plan your training accordingly.

Happy Sprinting!
Certified Advanced Personal Trainer in Jacksonville FL
Phone (904) 422-6218 		© 2007 JaxTrainer.com