How to Do Sprint Training
Decide where to run., Jog one or two laps around the track., Do dynamic stretches., Determine your desired sprint time/length., Do your first sprint at about 70% intensity, then increase., Rest 2-5 minutes in between sprints., Keep your first...
Step-by-Step Guide
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Step 1: Decide where to run.
Running on a track is the most popular place for sprint training because the distances are demarcated by lines on the ground, making it easy to keep track of exactly how far you’re running.
The surface is also good for shock absorption, which is helpful for keeping your joints healthy and free of injury.
If you don’t live near a school, gym, or other place with a track, you can still run sprints on any number of flat areas.
Consider running on soccer field, football field, or other long stretch of grass or turf that is relatively flat.
Depending on length and patterns of usage, you might also be able to find a parking lot or other paved area nearby that is relatively flat and would work well for sprinting.
Look for an area at least 40 meters long.
While pavement is not ideal for running, lots of people run marathons on the road, so a handful of sprints is surely a better option! -
Step 2: Jog one or two laps around the track.
This will get your body warmed up and ready for more intense work.If you’re working out somewhere other than a track, try jogging for 2–4 minutes as a warm-up. , Doing a limited number of dynamic stretches before sprinting has been shown to improve sprint times and help the body avoid injury.
Dynamic stretches are stretches performed while walking.
Too much of this type of intense stretching will cause fatigue and decrease your sprinting performance, so aim to spend about 10 minutes if you’re in average shape, and up to 20 minutes if you’re super fit.
Dynamic stretching requires more effort and is therefore more tiresome than the gentle stretches most people are familiar with.
You don’t want to put in twenty minutes and expend all your energy—then you won’t have any left for sprinting! Try these different stretches:
Gluteals – Walking High Knees; Hamstrings – “Toy Soldiers” or “Frankensteins”; Adductors – Hurdler’s Walk; Quadriceps – “Butt-Kickers”; and Gastrocnemius – Tip-Toe Walking., Thirty seconds is a good starting time, so long as you have a stopwatch or other device that can alert you when the time is up.
Once you improve your stamina and speed, you can increase to longer time periods.
If you don’t have an appropriate timing device, trying sprinting for about 200m.
If you’re not sprinting on a track and have no way of measuring the distance exactly, try counting your steps, aiming for between 120 and
130.
This won’t give you exactly 200m/30 seconds, but it will put you reasonably close., Don’t exert yourself to the full level of your capability right off the bat.
Doing so can lead to injury, especially if you’re not using proper form or your muscles aren’t sufficiently warmed up.For your second sprint, increase to 80% intensity; after this, if you’re not experiencing joint or muscle pain (which are signs that you need to back off), you can increase to total or near-total intensity for the remainder for the session.
Pain while sprinting could signal that you need more warm-up time or that you’re not using proper form. , You need rest between sprints so that your body can recover and you can sprint at the same speed multiple times.
You should rest 3 seconds for every 1 second that you sprinted.
So, for example, if you sprinted for 30 seconds, you should rest for 90 seconds; if you sprinted for 60 seconds, rest for 3 minutes.Walking should be your form of “rest,” not sitting or standing.
This will keep your muscles from cramping.
Walk back to the place where you began your sprint, and you’ll be ready to start again.Sprinting is an intense exercise that will use up all of the oxygen in your muscles.
You need adequate rest time between each sprint to maximize your speed and allow the oxygen to get back to your muscles.
Otherwise you may feel nauseous and/or lightheaded. , Four sprints is plenty for your first sprinting session.
This may not seem like a lot, but when this kind of intense work is new to your body, starting with too much too soon is a sure recipe for injury.After a few sessions you can gradually increase the number of sprints, eventually moving up to 8 or 9, depending on your individual fitness level and goals. , Walk or slowly jog around the track for about 5 minutes to allow your heart rate to settle and help prevent cramping due to a build-up of lactic acid in your muscles., Because this is such a high-impact, high-intensity workout, it should be limited to a few times a week and you should allow at least 48 hours in between.While this might not seem like a lot, soon you will begin to see improvements in your running times as well as your breathing rates.Beyond that, the shape and tone of your body will quickly begin to improve as well! -
Step 3: Do dynamic stretches.
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Step 4: Determine your desired sprint time/length.
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Step 5: Do your first sprint at about 70% intensity
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Step 6: then increase.
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Step 7: Rest 2-5 minutes in between sprints.
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Step 8: Keep your first session short.
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Step 9: Cool down.
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Step 10: Perform your new sprinting routine 2 or 3 times a week.
Detailed Guide
Running on a track is the most popular place for sprint training because the distances are demarcated by lines on the ground, making it easy to keep track of exactly how far you’re running.
The surface is also good for shock absorption, which is helpful for keeping your joints healthy and free of injury.
If you don’t live near a school, gym, or other place with a track, you can still run sprints on any number of flat areas.
Consider running on soccer field, football field, or other long stretch of grass or turf that is relatively flat.
Depending on length and patterns of usage, you might also be able to find a parking lot or other paved area nearby that is relatively flat and would work well for sprinting.
Look for an area at least 40 meters long.
While pavement is not ideal for running, lots of people run marathons on the road, so a handful of sprints is surely a better option!
This will get your body warmed up and ready for more intense work.If you’re working out somewhere other than a track, try jogging for 2–4 minutes as a warm-up. , Doing a limited number of dynamic stretches before sprinting has been shown to improve sprint times and help the body avoid injury.
Dynamic stretches are stretches performed while walking.
Too much of this type of intense stretching will cause fatigue and decrease your sprinting performance, so aim to spend about 10 minutes if you’re in average shape, and up to 20 minutes if you’re super fit.
Dynamic stretching requires more effort and is therefore more tiresome than the gentle stretches most people are familiar with.
You don’t want to put in twenty minutes and expend all your energy—then you won’t have any left for sprinting! Try these different stretches:
Gluteals – Walking High Knees; Hamstrings – “Toy Soldiers” or “Frankensteins”; Adductors – Hurdler’s Walk; Quadriceps – “Butt-Kickers”; and Gastrocnemius – Tip-Toe Walking., Thirty seconds is a good starting time, so long as you have a stopwatch or other device that can alert you when the time is up.
Once you improve your stamina and speed, you can increase to longer time periods.
If you don’t have an appropriate timing device, trying sprinting for about 200m.
If you’re not sprinting on a track and have no way of measuring the distance exactly, try counting your steps, aiming for between 120 and
130.
This won’t give you exactly 200m/30 seconds, but it will put you reasonably close., Don’t exert yourself to the full level of your capability right off the bat.
Doing so can lead to injury, especially if you’re not using proper form or your muscles aren’t sufficiently warmed up.For your second sprint, increase to 80% intensity; after this, if you’re not experiencing joint or muscle pain (which are signs that you need to back off), you can increase to total or near-total intensity for the remainder for the session.
Pain while sprinting could signal that you need more warm-up time or that you’re not using proper form. , You need rest between sprints so that your body can recover and you can sprint at the same speed multiple times.
You should rest 3 seconds for every 1 second that you sprinted.
So, for example, if you sprinted for 30 seconds, you should rest for 90 seconds; if you sprinted for 60 seconds, rest for 3 minutes.Walking should be your form of “rest,” not sitting or standing.
This will keep your muscles from cramping.
Walk back to the place where you began your sprint, and you’ll be ready to start again.Sprinting is an intense exercise that will use up all of the oxygen in your muscles.
You need adequate rest time between each sprint to maximize your speed and allow the oxygen to get back to your muscles.
Otherwise you may feel nauseous and/or lightheaded. , Four sprints is plenty for your first sprinting session.
This may not seem like a lot, but when this kind of intense work is new to your body, starting with too much too soon is a sure recipe for injury.After a few sessions you can gradually increase the number of sprints, eventually moving up to 8 or 9, depending on your individual fitness level and goals. , Walk or slowly jog around the track for about 5 minutes to allow your heart rate to settle and help prevent cramping due to a build-up of lactic acid in your muscles., Because this is such a high-impact, high-intensity workout, it should be limited to a few times a week and you should allow at least 48 hours in between.While this might not seem like a lot, soon you will begin to see improvements in your running times as well as your breathing rates.Beyond that, the shape and tone of your body will quickly begin to improve as well!
About the Author
Sharon Carter
Brings years of experience writing about home improvement and related subjects.
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