Beginner Sprinting Program?

[quote]ctaylor3 wrote:
Example:

Set cones 10m from starting line and 60m end point. Start and accelerate from 0 to 10 meters at maximum effort. Whatever speed reached at 10m MAINTAIN (do not continue to accelerate) that speed and finish the rest of the run till 60m.

The next week place cones at 20m and 60m. Now you accelerate out till 20m, whatever speed you reach maintain and do not run faster till 60m.

Keep in mind most folks on here should probably use 5m increments as they will probably reach top speed around 30 maybe 40m. Just like in lifting where time is spend getting closer to maximum weights, it is necessary to apply similar concepts in sprinting especially in consideration of the huge limb velocities and by extension the potential for injury.

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This.

As a sprinter I can tell you that’s probably the best session you can do in terms of working hard but minimizing risk of injury. The number of people from other sports who come down to the track, do their normal warm up and then try and go flat out only to pull a muscle within 10 strides is ridiculous. And if they weren’t so cocky about it we’d probably warn them before they hurt themself.

2 x 2 x 60m (10m IL) walk back between reps, 6 mins between sets would be a good starting point, and a key thing to remember is that passing 10m only means the speed is maintained and you don’t just pop up into upright running, come up slowly and just relax.

Also the first 10m shouldn’t be 100%, you’ll find 98% effort is actually faster as there’s less tension and your technique is a little better.

I’d increase the intensity limit by as little as 2.5m and would favour adding more runs at a lower IL than moving it if the session is too easy.

I probably ran up to 6 x 3 x 60m with a 30m IL, but doing 9 reps with 20m IL would be a good goal to set yourself if it’s only for workout purposes.

Hills are also much safer as you’re naturally in a position similar to the acceleration phase but unlike flat running where you can only stay there for a few seconds with a hill you can stay down the whole way.

The following might be worth considering:

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If you run out of time for long, steady endurance exercise, but want the cardiovascular benefits that such exercise provides, consider sprint workouts. Exercise guidelines recommend up to sixty minutes of moderate exercise three times a week. Still, most people fail to get that much exercise for lack of time and lack of results. If you’re short on time, but want the benefits that long, slow cardio provides, sprint workouts might be a perfect solution. Evidence shows that short, high intensity sprint workouts improve aerobic capacity and endurance in about half the time of traditional endurance exercise.

Research on Sprint Workouts
Sprint training is becoming a popular way to train for elite as well as recreational exercisers because it works. Recent studies of sprint training with cyclists showed greater cardiovascular results in less time. In fact, one study found that just six sessions of four to seven all-out thirty-second sprints (with four minutes of recovery between sprints) could be as effective at improving cardiovascular fitness as an hour of daily moderate-level aerobic exercise.
The subjects in one study showed an astonishing 100 percent increase in endurance capacity (from 26 minutes to 51 minutes) versus the control group who showed no change. In another study by the same researchers, subjects improved their cycling time trial performance by nearly 10 percent in the two weeks.

Similar to Interval Training
These short bouts of intense exercise (not unlike interval training) improved muscle health and performance comparable to several weeks of traditional endurance training. The muscles of the trained group also showed a significant increase in citrate synthesis (citrate is an enzyme that is a marker of the tissue’s ability to utilize oxygen).
Other findings have shown that short, high intensity exercise burns more calories than the same amount of moderate-level cardio exercise.

How to Do the 30-Second Sprint Workout

The following sprint workout can be done while running, swimming, cycling, or almost any other cardiovascular exercise.
â?¢Safety. Because this is a high-intensity exercise it is recommended that you check with your doctor and review the PAR-Q before beginning a sprint workout.
â?¢Base Fitness. It’s also important to have a strong base of fitness in the activity you are using for sprints. To build a base of fitness follow the 10 percent rule, and gradually increase your training volume.
â?¢Muscle Soreness. Launching into a sprint program may be difficult or cause delayed onset muscle soreness if you haven’t done much training prior to this workout. I recommend having about 3 to 4 weeks of base fitness before beginning.
â?¢Warm Up. Getting injured during a short, high-intense burst of exercise is possible if you aren’t prepared with a thorough warm up.
Sprint Workout Step-by-Step

â?¢How Often? Perform sprint workout routines three times a week with plenty of rest between workouts. Because of the intensity of these workouts most athletes shouldn’t do sprint work more than three times a week.
â?¢Warm up. Before sprints, warm up thoroughly with easy exercise for 5-10 minutes. Perform the same exercise you will be using for your sprints.
â?¢Sprint. Perform your first sprint at about 60 percent max intensity. If you feel any muscle tightness or joint pain, back off and continue to warm up.
â?¢Recover. Recover for 2 minutes by slowing to a comfortable pace, but keep moving. This can be an easy jog or a walk, depending upon your fitness.
â?¢Sprint. Perform your next sprint at about 80 percent max intensity.
â?¢Recover. Recover for 2 minutes.
â?¢Sprint. Perform the remainder of your sprints at 100 percent max intensity or all-out efforts of 30 seconds. You should be pushing yourself to the max for each one.
â?¢Recover. Recover for 2 to 4 minutes after each sprint to allow your breathing and heart rate to slow to the point that you can hold a conversation without gasping.
â?¢Repeat. Repeat the sprint/recovery routine 4-8 times depending upon your level and ability. For your first workout,
you will want to stop at 4 sprints. That’s fine. Try to build up to 8.

â?¢Workout Goal. The goal is to do this workout six times in two two weeks and then back off to twice a week for maintenance for six to eight weeks before you change your workout.

â?¢Rest and Recovery. Allow at least one to two days of rest or other easy exercise between sprint workouts.
If you like your results, you can continue longer. But it’s a good idea to vary your routine every few months, and throughout the year. This type of workout is intense, and you may need to take a break and perform some longer slow workouts for a while. Feel free to modify the routine as you like; see for yourself what works best for you.

Sprint training offers an option for those who don’t have much time for exercise, but still want to improve their cardiovascular system. While this type of training is demanding and requires a high level of motivation, it can lead to dramatic improvements in a short period of time.

*Be sure to check with your doctor before beginning this sort of program."

I find a few problems with sprint workouts as far as how they are portrayed by some. Obviously things like sprints and the Tabata method but what do they work? They improve cardio, OK, but how do they work when it comes to fat loss? It seems like, especially with Tabata, that there is a connection being made that has not been proven. Tabata used his method with Olympic speed skaters to see if already fit athletes could get even more fit, as far as I know. There was no body fat measuring going on and I doubt it was even considered as these were athletes who were already lean.

The assumption being made is that if you improve cardio you must be losing fat or that the calories that are burned during and post high intensity exercise are so much greater than the total expenditure during a bout of lower intensity that it affects fat loss a lot better.

The problem is that if one is fat and out of shape they cannot do high intensity cardio. They most certainly cannot do the Tabata method. Even fit people cannot do Tabatas properly. In order to do high intensity cardio you need to already be in good shape. Lose the fat via diet and weights and low intensity exercise like walking or the stationary bike before moving onto sprints.

People have drawn the conclusion that since sprinters are lean, sprinting must make you lean, but sprinters were lean before they were sprinters.

[quote]ctaylor3 wrote:

Volume looks good, but rest periods I would shorten if your goal is conditioning/weight loss.

I help coach in a track and field club. Since Throwers are a better comparison for you as you are a powerlifter, I can tell you a few basic things with respect to their training. I deal with sprinters/jumpers but every once in a while we have throwers come to join.

Aside from their respective competitive events, their primary training components include weights/jumps/sprints. They do short 30 meter sprints for usually no more than about 400m in total volume. Furthermore, their goal is to derive power benefits, and not necessarily conditioning, thus their recovery periods are full (usually lasting 2-5 minutes between reps/5-15 minutes between sets)

Usually their repetitions are performed in sets of 4 to 6. So I would advise splitting your runs up as such with INCOMPLETE recoveries for a total volume range between 300-400m:

4x40m with less than 2 min rest (probably between 30-60s)

Larger rest for set break

then 4x40m with less than 2 min rest

There is quite a good bit of room to play around by adding a few more and/or shortening rests. It will also be dependent on the work being performed in the weight-room. Ultimately, make sure to do a careful warm-up and perform your sprint work as you see fit. Help this helps.
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'4x40m with less than 2 min rest (probably between 30-60s)

Larger rest for set break

then 4x40m with less than 2 min rest’

That looks like nice and simple. I never even thought of sets/reps for sprints. I will try to implement this, thanks. Though I will probably round it of to 5x40 -large rest- 5x40 (=10x40), since I’m a nerd. Also, I’m not sure I have the base conditioning yet to do a 30-60sec rest between reps.

I’ve started my sprints last week. On tuesday I did 5x40m with full recovery between sprints.

This week I will do 2 sprinting days. Each sprinting day will be 5x40m with full recovery between sprints. After doing that for 2-4 weeks, I will start your 2x5x40m sprints with incomplete recoveries between sprints.

How does that sound for a plan?

kardash
if you are serious on what kind of sprinting workout you need to begin with and follow, why arnt you on a track and field forum? you’re asking for sport specific help. i bet most of these replies are from non runners/sprinters. very nice they comment, but i would ask from runnurs/sprinters, not folks on a bodybuilding forum…

[quote]spk wrote:
kardash
if you are serious on what kind of sprinting workout you need to begin with and follow, why arnt you on a track and field forum? you’re asking for sport specific help. i bet most of these replies are from non runners/sprinters. very nice they comment, but i would ask from runnurs/sprinters, not folks on a bodybuilding forum… [/quote]

I’m by no means a ‘serious’ sprinter. I’m asking sprinting workouts for GPP. I think there are more than enough ppl here able to help with that.

[quote]spk wrote:
kardash
if you are serious on what kind of sprinting workout you need to begin with and follow, why arnt you on a track and field forum? you’re asking for sport specific help. i bet most of these replies are from non runners/sprinters. very nice they comment, but i would ask from runnurs/sprinters, not folks on a bodybuilding forum… [/quote]
Not everyone who posts here is a bodybuilder and some, maybe most, have participated in some sport(s) at one time or another if not currently. Having said that, it is best to go to a source that is geared more specifically towards what one is talking about.

[quote]Kardash wrote:

[quote]spk wrote:
kardash
if you are serious on what kind of sprinting workout you need to begin with and follow, why arnt you on a track and field forum? you’re asking for sport specific help. i bet most of these replies are from non runners/sprinters. very nice they comment, but i would ask from runnurs/sprinters, not folks on a bodybuilding forum… [/quote]

I’m by no means a ‘serious’ sprinter. I’m asking sprinting workouts for GPP. I think there are more than enough ppl here able to help with that.[/quote]

You were well within your right to ask about sprinting on this forum. Yes, there are people such as myself who is interested in expanding my training to sprinting. I have competed in semi pro football and rugby but my main sport is powerlifting. Great info and suggestions, I plan to utilize it myself.

Why not put out a marker and do suicides instead of an all-out sprint i.e. 30yds and back then 60 and back or even 15 and then 30? Speed will self regulate a little with the longer time and the turns so “all-out” will actually be slower and slightly more paced. If you go 60%ish for the first couple rounds that will warm you up enough to keep from pulling anything and just rest until fully recovered between rounds.

As you get better and more used to the acceleration/deceleration of sprinting you could move to the straight 60yd sprints.