Benefits Of Sprinting!

Most people who start working out for weight loss measure their progress with the number of hours they spend working out on a treadmill or bike. It’s not difficult to accept and justify this approach as this is what everyone else seems to be doing at the gym too. After all, if you want to lose weight you have to put in your time, right?

The answer is yes by working out for hours you will surely lose weight but the unfortunately it isn’t the healthy way to do it. This is because you are mostly losing water and muscle weight, which slows down your metabolism causing you to gain body fat.

This workout pattern has been negatively re-compositioning your body; trading muscle for fat.When it comes to opting for a good workout for the purpose of fat loss, the most fruitful one is to go on a shorter but higher intensity sprints. This method of exercising for fat loss is known as high-intensity interval training, or HIIT.

What exactly does one mean when he or she says that high interval training are more suitable for people who want to lose weight faster in comparison to long and steady periods of cardio? To answer this question in an easy to understand manner, let’s start the answer with an example – A typical jogger will pace himself at a steady clip over a fixed distance or period of time.

If he intends to run for an hour, he will jog at a pace which will help him in sustaining and completing his goal. On the other hand, HIIT training involves doing short but intense running sprints where the runner is required to run as fast as possible. When running on a treadmill this means cranking up the incline and increasing the speed drastically.

The period of exercise is very short ranging anywhere between 15-60 seconds but during this duration the individual pushes him as hard as possible. The total time of exercises is not more than 10-20 minutes and with a short break after each repetition. HIIT training takes less time to achieve the same results as longer, slower running – but it’s certainly not easier.

Is sprinting combined with interval training really more effective for fat loss than a steady jog or is it just a myth? International Journal Sport Nutrition and Exercise Metabolism conducted a study by dividing a group of male students in two sets – 30 minutes of steady jogging, or 2 minutes of intensive sprint interval training – 3 times a week for 6 weeks.

The results of the study indicated that the interval spring training actually boosted the student’s metabolism the same amount as those who jogged, even though the joggers exercised for 28 minutes more than the sprinters each session. This is just one of the result, there are many other studies which have indicated a positive impact of sprint training as compared to longer, marathon style runs. There are some more reasons which could be held accountable for it –

1. Anabolic effect Studies have shown that doing sprint training along with eating more calories actually results in building better muscles. There is a striking difference between a sprinter’s build as compared to a marathon runner’s build, which is mainly because of this anabolic effect.

2. Increased Aerobic capacity Since you get engage in intense sprints it helps in pushing the body’s system to increase the limit o oxygen your body can use. You’ll feel more energized and “fit” from doing sprints, compared to doing long, but low-intensity cardiovascular exercise.

3. Afterburn Effect is the most beneficial output of the getting engaged in interval training. It helps you burn off fat even 24-48 hours after your last workout.

4. Less hunger Joggers tend to find them famished after a long run resulting in increased appetite whereas sprint training does not have any such impact on appetite.

The conventional wisdom of working out for long hours to lose weight is actually based on a flawed wisdom, which showed that low-intensity training is more likely to use stored fat as fuel than high-intensity sprints.

While this is certainly true, the reason this wisdom is flawed is because the high-intensity training still results in more fat burned overall, even if the lower intensity training burned more fat compared to glycogen percentage wise.

Though HIIT is more effective as compared to a jog but this certainly doesn’t mean that you should completely say no to jogging. On the other hand, for the overweight individuals it is highly recommended to build a strong cardio base through jogging instead of sprint training.

Along with this, many people like to go for long runs to de-stress and meditate. and off course it does contribute in burning calories though not as fast as high-intensity interval training. But if you’re looking for an effective way to burn fat, your best bet is to start doing HIIT now.

1. Warm-up: Don’t forget to warmup before starting a sprint session.

2. Time Your sprints: Set the exact timings of your sprints and gradually increase them for faster results.

3. Straighten up: Avoid leaning forward when in a sprint session, rather try to maintain a straight pose for more effective output.

4. Straighten up: Avoid leaning forward when in a sprint session, rather try to maintain a straight pose for more effective output.

5. Don’t count, just sprint: Simply keep in mind that intensity matters more than repetitions.