In the last decade there has been a shift in thinking within the universal mind of the those involved in physical culture. By "universal mind," I mean the collective thoughts and goals of the community of us that consider exercise a necessary part of our lifestyle. The age of the hypertrophy obsessed bodybuilder and the strength training phobic female has been ushered out in favor of a return to our primal roots. Today, both men and women are congregating in the middle areas of the spectrum of physical culture where a functional brand of fitness resides.
Let me just say that I hate using the word "functional" to describe this shift because I personally think it has been played out beyond belief and lost much of its original meaning, but it does do a great job of describing a philosophy of physical training that maximizes all the attributes of athleticism and sustainability that the human body has evolved to have in abundance.
Without the optimal balance of movement skill, coordination, strength, speed, power, endurance, body composition, resilience, mental focus and toughness our ancestors would not have made it possible for us to be here today. Personally, I think we owe it to the generations to come to carry on that tradition of physicality and mind/body connection. Even if human survival is never again dependent on the direct abilities of the human body the way it was in the past, it is always better to have something you don't need than to need something you don't have.
Over the last decade there has been a shift in the kind of body men and women want to develop through their training. Men want to be lean, muscular and athletically fit for action (or at least look that way). No more bodybuilding physiques that are all show and no go. Women want to feel empowered by building strength, muscle and athleticism. They have realized that feminine is strong. They don't want to rely on a man for strength, they want to lift if, carry it, or do it on their own.
The good news is that there is one single exercise that can accomplish all these goals. It is at the same time one of the most crucial types of movement to human survival and the most underrated forms of exercise. If you haven't figured it out yet I'm talking about sprinting!
Sprinting has so many benefits that I can’t even begin to cover them all the way I would like in one article. Whether you are a high performance athlete, a weekend warrior looking to get an edge, or someone who wants to improve body composition, sprinting is something that you absolutely MUST integrate into your program.
It is the most reliable way to increase any athlete’s performance is to improve his or her strength-to-weight ratio. That is a fancy way of saying minimizing the amount of bodyfat the athelete carries while maximizing functional muscle mass. Pay attention to the next pro track meet you see on television and you will notice that even the last place finishers in the sprint events looks like a world champion thoroughbred. They all have great muscular development, especially the posterior chain, with very low bodyfat revealing chiseled abs.
Increased posterior chain development is another HUGE reason to start sprinting. If you’re like most Americans that sit on your butt all day in front of a computer screen your posterior chain is probably not your best ass-et (pun intended). This is because the glutes and muscles in the upper back literally “turn off” when you sit down typing on a computer or holding a steering wheel all day because they are lengthened and relaxed for hours on end.
Here is a basic weekly training split that incorporates sprinting. The reason there is only one day devoted to strength training for legs is because sprinting is such a great leg developer. Doing another day of leg training would be overkill.
- Monday: Primarily Upper Body: Horizontal Push and Pull Day
- Tuesday: Sprints
- Wednesday: Rest
- Thursday: Primarily Legs (alternate between hip/quad dominant exercises every other week)
- Friday: Primarily Upper Body: Vertical Push and Pull Day
- Saturday: Sprints
- Sunday: Rest
When you are doing your sprint workouts the warm-up is critical to avoid injury, especially if you haven’t been doing any sprinting or plyometric style workouts. The following is a good general warm-up routine:
Warm-up Exercises
Distance
Sets
Rest Period
Light Jog
400 m
1
2-3 mins
Joint Mobility (Head to toes)
n/a
1
none
Front-to-back Leg Swing (Hip Flexor)
n/a
1
none
Side-to-side Leg Swing (Hips)
n/a
1
none
Backward Lunge into Hamstring
20 m
1
none
Spider Walk
20 m
1
none
Walking March w/ Hamstring Activation
20 m
1
none
Knee Pulls w/ External Hip Rotation
20 m
1
none
High Knees
20 m
2
1 min
Butt Kicks
20 m
2
1 min
Cariocas
20 m
2
1 min
A-Skips
20 m
2
1 min
Strides, Half Speed
50 m
2
2 min
Split your sprint days into an 80% day and a max effort day for the first 3 to 4 weeks doing less volume on your max effort days. Your sprint distance should be between 50 and 75 yards. That is about as long as most people can actually accelerate with 75 yards being the absolute elite upper limit of acceleration. Anything longer than that becomes strength endurance work, which is great, but is best to be saved for down the road after you have at least 8 weeks of shorter sprints under your belt.
Start with 6-10 sprints on the 80% day and 5-7 on the max effort day in your first 3 to 4 weeks depending on where your conditioning is at. If you haven't been doing any sprinting or plyometric training you should be very conservative. After the first phase progressive up your volume on the 80% day to as many as 20 sprints, but keep the max number on the max effort day at 10 or less.
If your primary goal is fat loss your rest periods should be between 60-90 seconds. If your primary goal is strength/speed/muscular development your rest periods should be in the 3 to 4 minute range so that you can fully recover for another 80%, 90%, or max effort sprint. If conditioning is more of a priority you can shorten your rest periods to as low as 30 seconds.
There is one thing, however, that should always stay the same. Sprint, not run, as fast as you can. If your speed starts slowing down too much take a longer break before continuing with your regular rest periods. If you are still struggling to maintain form or speed call it a day because you're done. Sprint workouts drain your body in a way that is different from endurance training. Less is usually more, especially in the beginning. Your focus in these workouts is max, or near max effort, not volume.
Always conclude your sprint workouts with a cool down including some 50% effort striders, a slow jog, and an active assisted hamstring stretch using a towel, band, or help from a friend. Remember, be conservative with your volume the first few times you hit the track. It’s best to ease your way into a sprint routine. The volume will come with a little time.
A well designed and executed sprint program can be an efficient strategy for fat loss, muscle growth and/or maintainence, increased anaerobic capacity, and a great posterior chain. It also never hurts to be able to run fast if the need arises. Remember, it is better to have it and not need it then to need it and not have it. To paraphrase a quote by Arthur Jones:
Every man and woman should have the athletic ability and physical fitness to save his or her own life.