Posts Tagged ‘sprints’

What is HIIT – High-Intensity Interval Training – And How Should You Use It?

Wednesday, July 20th, 2022

What is High-Intensity Interval Training (HIIT)?

female sprinter uses high-intensity interval training

High-Intensity Interval Training, often represented by the acronym HIIT, is really a big deal. HIIT training is the ideal and most effective replacement for underachieving endurance cardio. High-intensity interval training has been regarded for years now as one of the best ways to burn calories and maintain muscle mass while encouraging a long-lasting metabolic effect post-workout.

As a matter of fact, in studies, HIIT is 9x more effective at burning fat than endurance cardio.

More often than not, I have talked about HIIT workouts made up only of interval sprints. Today I would like to discuss HIIT training with resistance machines, but not to be confused with High-Intensity Resistance Training, or HIRT, which I will write about shortly.

HIIT Provides the Following Benefits

  • Burn more calories than endurance cardio
  • Burn more fat than endurance cardio
  • Increase power
  • Increase speed
  • Increase muscle density
  • Improve anaerobic endurance
  • Improve aerobic endurance
  • Speed up metabolism for more than a day and a half
  • Shorten cardio training sessions by at least 33%

Navigating This Article

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8 Features to Consider Before Buying a Running Shoes

Thursday, June 20th, 2019
running man

Finding the right pair of running shoes is more than going to the nearest shoe store and picking up the first pair you find. It requires you to study its features that will help you to run smoothly. You can’t just wear a pair of your old sneakers; running shoes, as opposed to regular sneakers, need to provide you comfort and avoid any foot or back pain.

Consider these features below before you buy the perfect pair of running shoes.

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The Benefits Of Running for the Weight Loss Battle

Tuesday, April 25th, 2017

Running can help achieve that fit body you’re aiming for. Today, we will explain to you how running can be good in the battle for weight loss!

Many people strive to have a body that will impress. However, the path going there isn’t a simple battle. Many challenges will hinder you from making progress. The first thing that you should ask yourself is, are you up to the challenge?

Spartan Runners

Although running sounds like a simple exercise, its benefits will amaze you. Running has many advantages including better health, uplifted emotions, weight loss, and improved focus. (more…)

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How to Run Interval Sprints on a Treadmill

Friday, March 10th, 2017

The High Intensity Incline Treadmill Workout

treadmill sprintsIf you’re looking to keep your cardio fitness levels running high throughout the year regardless of weather conditions or other hindrances, then the incline treadmill workout is the best training option.

Incline workouts offer many benefits.

For starters, it’ll help you simulate hill running, thus burn off colossal amounts of calories without having to go outside and stomach the bad weather. In addition, incline workouts are great boredom busters, hence if you dread indoor cardio training, use the incline to your advantage and make your workout more challenging and fun.

As a result, if you’re not doing an incline workout—at least once per week—then you’re doing yourself a big disservice.

Here are a few practical tips that can help.

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Finding Motivation to Exercise First Thing in the Morning

Saturday, February 16th, 2013

Morning ExerciseMany people like the energy boost that they get from exercising early since it stays with them throughout the day and leaves them pleasantly sleepy at night. But if you’re not an early riser, you might find that you prefer working out during your lunch break or in the evening, despite the fact that it can leave you pumped up and unable to snooze when your head hits the pillow.

Of course, you may find that exercising later in the day presents you with myriad problems. Perhaps you’re too tired or demands on your time inevitably pop up, preventing you from getting in your workout.

In any case, you might end up deciding that starting your day with a workout is the best way to go. However, it can definitely be difficult to roll out of bed an hour earlier than usual, even if you’re committed to making it work.

So here are a few strategies that should help you find the motivation you need to exercise first thing in the morning.

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Running for Weight Loss

Tuesday, June 12th, 2012

How to Eat Properly When Running to Lose Weight

Female SprintersAside from getting out there and running some serious interval sprints, losing weight is a matter of calories in versus calories out.

When it comes to the burning side, running is one of the best training programs out there for burning the extra pounds and keeping them off for good. Not only that, running is cardiovascular exercise per excellence, thus doing it a regular basis will boost your endurance levels, help you ward off heart related problems, and get you in the best shape of your life.

Nonetheless, backing up your running program with a proper diet is the surest way for permanent weight loss results. For that, here are the diet guidelines you’ll need to lose the weight without sacrificing performance and energy for the workout.

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What is the Best Form of Cardiovascular Exercise?

Monday, March 17th, 2008

We know cardio is essential to improve the cardiovascular system. This goes without saying. When many people don’t realize, is that cardiovascular exercise can be useful for losing weight as well as gaining weight; for increasing endurance as well as increasing power, size, and strength. The difference is in training energy systems. You can train your anaerobic energy system (builds power and strength) while participating in a cardio workout, just as easily as training you can train your aerobic energy system by performing super-high-rep circuit training on the weight machines (boo).

When trying to determine which form of cardio you should do, you need to evaluate your goals. Are you trying to:

  • Lose as much weight as possible without regard for muscle or strength?
  • Train for a specific athletic event such as track or a marathon?
  • Improve leg power and leg speed along with cardiovascular endurance?
  • Build as much muscle as possible in the shortest amount of time?


Marathon Runner vs. Sprinter

Endurance Cardio

If you want to be skinny and have high endurance but very little muscle you will probably want to do endurance running; long distance cycling; or use the elliptical trainer to prevent wear and tear on your ankles, knees, and hips. Other monotonous exercise equipment includes rowing machines, treadmills, stair climbers, and stationary bikes. These are all OK for burning calories and ‘toning’ but they will not make you stronger, faster, or more muscular.

Intense Cardio

If you want to be thicker, stronger, more powerful, and develop aesthetically pleasing muscle tone, you should give interval sprints or weightlifting complexes a try. When you use maximal force in your cardio workout, as you do with sprints, you are training the anaerobic energy system and facilitating neurological efficiency to those muscles. This will increase speed and strength, and will ultimately help you gain muscle. For you women out there, this will do a better job of ‘toning’ than those treadmills and stationary bikes.

Interval Sprints

With interval sprints, you can sprint on a flat surface, up hills, or up stairs. Sprint for 30 seconds, walk for 90 seconds, repeat 10 times. On your first sprint workout you might want to consider sprinting for 20 seconds, walking for 180 seconds, and repeating only 5 times. Each workout should become progressively harder. At one point in my training, I was sprinting stairs, timed by a stopwatch, for between 50-70 seconds and only resting enough to walk back down the stairs.

Complexes with Weights

With complexes, you will want to string together several compound exercises like deadlift, hang cleans, push press, and back squats, into one constant exercise. Do 5-7 reps with perfect form, rest 30-60 seconds and repeat 5 times. I talk about this complex all the time in this blog. There are about 1000 different exercise combinations that you can turn into complexes so be creative.

If you get tired of all this stuff, give thai kickboxing or jumping rope a try.

Don’t forget to stretch and drink lots of fluids. I recommend Gatorade.

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