It's February and I for one am getting very excited for spring to hurry up and get here! Just like many of you out there, I can't wait to be able to get back outside and start working out in the fresh air and warm sun. I'm sure many of you can't wait to get back outdoors to your favourite parks, beaches, or outdoor jungle gyms for another season of new challenging workouts and play! I can tell you right now what I am very, very excited for this spring and summer ... sprinting!
I cant wait to get back out on the grass, sand, or track and run top speed feeling the wind whip past my face! Sprinting is one of the most natural forms of exercise you can do, and it has a host of amazing benefits to push your fitness and fat burning potential to new levels. We're designed to sprint, just take a look at our caveman ancestors for example. You never would have seen a caveman running his daily 5k. It would have been a waste of valuable energy and time that could have been better spent building shelter, hunting or gathering food. If he was to run it would more than likely be to save his own life from being eaten or running after an animal he intended on killing to provide food for his family. Both of those scenarios would involve running at top speed and not a casual jog.
Fortunately for us we no longer have to worry about getting eaten or hunting and chasing our food, but that doesn't mean we cant enjoy the health benefits of sprinting! Sprinting is a total body exercise blasting your legs, hips and abs. Have you ever seen an Olympic sprinter without a ripped, lean, and muscular torso? It's well known that high intensity exercise in short bursts is excellent for fat loss and boosting your growth hormone as well reving up your metabolism. I can tell you right now that it doesn't get much more intense than running all out as fast as you can for 100 meters!
As soon as the weather becomes a little more inviting I would suggest to all of you to get out and try some sprints. Start slow, warm up well, and pay attention to your body! Sprinting is a very intense form of exercise and when starting out it can be very easy to injure yourself, so take your time and stretch very well before and after your workouts. A great way to start is 6-10, 100 meter sprints , give yourself enough rest to feel fresh enough to run the next sprint at your max speed.
If you're interested in seeing a sample sprinting routine then take a look at this great little video clip by Mark Sisson!
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