The main aim and focus of sprinting is to run at your fastest pace for a shorter and more focused amount of time. The easiest way of doing this is by increasing your stamina. Sprinting is a great cardiovascular exercise and is brilliant at increasing your metabolism, even after you have finished your workout. Here are six reasons as to why we would suggest you taking up sprinting over long distance running or jogging.

The overall benefits of sprinting

Firstly, you should consider the active-aging benefits. As you age, the loss of muscle mass can be contributed to by the loss of type II muscle fibres. Doing high-intensity training and workouts such as sprinting is a great way to improve your bodies’ type II muscle fibres and maintain your muscle mass through aging. Not only is sprinting great for this, but it will also result in you sculpting your legs with further definition. Besides helping with muscle mass, it is a great way in which you can low your blood pressure, through the build-up of muscles assisting with your heart function. The extra work from sprinting results in your heart work harder, pumping faster and improving circulation around the body. During long distance running your body can increase levels of cortisol, which convert the protein in your body to fuel. By doing this, it reduces the body’s ability to build new muscle tissue. However, when you start sprinting, your body promotes the hormones which in turn assist with building muscle. By adding sprinting to your workouts it can help you maintain and increase your levels of lean muscle mass, help tone your glutes, abs and legs, as well as calorie burning, which in turn helps you achieve a more youthful appearance.

Feeling the burn

If you are familiar with HIIT workouts, then this series of sprints is a very effective way to achieve the benefits of these high-intensity intervals training. With your body accelerating at a quicker rate, your heart rate will increase at a higher rate. These styles of exercises help you burn lots of calories in a relatively short amount of time. This also works to help your body burn calories even after you have finished your workout has finished. When you are starting your sprint, the speed of your run will increase the more you do.

Increasing your endurance levels

Sprinting can also help you improve overall aerobic efficiency and your body’s ability to use oxygen for fuel. If you are a fan of running in marathons, or long distance, training with the use of sprinting alongside can help improve your aerobic capacity while increasing the total distance you are required to run. When your heart and muscles are working to their limits, this will mean that your body will have to use its reserves in order for your body to continue to function. Sprinting will break down the glucose levels stored and in turn burn an increase level of calories. Therefore the more sprinting which you do the better your endurance shall be, as fatigue levels will set in later after your training.

Range of motion and your joints

When running long distance, you are able to get a limited range of motion. In comparison, sprinting allows for a much large range of motion due to the use of a longer stride, incorporating your ankles, legs, hips and arms to gain the speed you are working towards. If you are a long distance runner you may have had experience of the impact that long distance running can have on your joints. The long distances and running for substantial periods has an increased impact on the pressure put on your joints, such as your knees and ankles. If you are monitoring your running form and are striking with your ball of your foot rather than your heel then you shall reduce the chances of injury.

It’s a mind set

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Although sprinting is a hard exercise, especially if you are just starting out, it is important to be resilient and not give up. There will always be set backs, and these are normal for anyone first starting or even if you have lots of experience in doing sprints. Like most forms of exercise, sprinting is a great way of relieving stress; both mentally and physically. This is done when your body releases endorphins into your body, which in turn helps with confidence. By setting goals and reaching these whether it is independently or with a friend you will be able to achieve these and improve over time. Make sure, whatever your long term goal is, to get healthier or to be able to run faster, this is a fun way of getting it done.