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If you are looking to improve your physical conditioning, sprint
training is one of the best ways to go about doing so.
Many
individuals prefer sprint training because it takes a lot less time
than traditional forms of cardio that have you going for thirty to
sixty minutes at a time and there are a great number of benefits
that will be seen when you do this more intense form of sprint
training workout.
EPOC
One of
the biggest benefits you’ll get from sprinting is the EPOC effects
it creates. This is known as excess post-exercise oxygen consumption
and is where the body will expend a great deal of calories returning
the body back to its former state after the workout.
Because
sprint training is so intense, this will contribute to a large
calorie burn after you have finished the workout. To even further
increase the EPOC that is seen, consider doing hill sprint training.
Since this is even more intense in nature, it will further challenge
your body.
Metabolic Adaptations
Next, when you perform a number of sprint training
workouts, the body will upregulate its ability to produce enzymes
that are going to work at increasing the storage capacity of the
muscle for energy substrates such as ATP.
This then has the
corresponding effect of allowing you to work out harder for a longer
period of time without fatigue setting in. Note though that this
occurs when you are working more on the aerobic side of things, so
while it is intense, you are still utilizing oxygen.
If no
oxygen is present, you will only be able to last 5-20 seconds,
regardless of how well conditioned you are (the better condition you
are though, the harder you will be able to work during that
time).
Phosphate Metabolism
The
next benefit you’ll get with sprint training is its effect on
phosphate metabolism. Phosphate creatine stores comprise a major
component of the body’s fuel source for muscular activity, so
anything you can do to increase this is going to be beneficial.
Myokinase is an enzyme that is responsible for
resynthesizing the energy from phosphate creatine, and with sprint
training, it will increase its concentration within the muscle
tissue by up to 20%.
Glycolysis
The next adaptation that will occur after you’ve been doing
sprint training for a period of time is that of glycolysis. This is
the primary form of metabolism used during a 10 second all out
sprint and contributes between 55 and 75% towards energy production
during exercise.
Phosphofructokinase (PFK), an enzyme that
catalyses the phosphorylation of the glycolytic intermediate
fructose 6-phosphate), has also been shown to increase when sprint
training is performed, along with the enzymes of lactate
dehydrogenase and glycogen phosphorylase (other enzymes responsible
for the glycolysis system).
Intramuscular
Buffering Capacity
Finally, the last adaptation that’s
seen with sprint training is the buffering capacity of the muscle.
During glycoglysis, various byproducts are created such as lactic
acid, and when these accumulate, it causes the extreme feelings of
fatigue in the muscle tissues.
This then forces you to stop
exercising as the fatigue sets in and often will be the end of your
workout.
Overtime, sprint training will increase your
ability to buffer these byproducts so that you can then workout for
a longer period of time while maintaining that intensity.
So, next time you’re debating about whether to do a sprint
training session or a moderate paced cardio session lasting for 40
minutes or so, opt for the sprint session.
The benefits
you’ll receive are far more numerous and fat loss will be kicked up
a notch as an added benefit. Keep in mind that for these type of
benefits to occur, you want your sprints to last somewhere in the
neighborhood of 20 seconds to 40 seconds, with a work to rest ration
of about 1:2. Repeat this process a total of 6 to 8 times and begin
and end with a five minute warm-up and cool-down.
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