Tag: Sprint

It's believed that an average American puts on close to 5 pounds or more over the holiday season. To lose all that holiday weight, there are a few simple, yet effective exercises you can perform. Burpees, walk-out push-ups, lunges, toe-taps, step-ups, mountain climbers, and sprints are some of the exercises you can go for. Alternatively, you could also consider swimming or skipping rope. Doing these exercises for about 20 minutes every day can help you shed your holiday weight.

While it may not seem like it would make much of a difference, five-minute workouts usually involve a short span of extremely intense activity. Studies show that the intensity of the activity is what matters rather than the duration. Even about 10 minutes of intense activity can help keep hunger levels down. Combine your workout with small bursts of activity throughout the day.

Bodyweight exercises build and strengthen your muscles, without you having to hit the gym. Sprints, lunges, mountain climber, walk-out push-ups, burpees, skater jumps, and jump squats are some of the most effective bodyweight exercises. These 7 exercises do not require you to have any equipment and can be performed at the comfort of your home.

Sprinting, an anaerobic exercise, burns more fat at a higher speed—about 200 cals in 2.5 mins—than jogging, an aerobic one. It boosts metabolism and helps build lean muscles faster with the testosterone and the growth hormone it helps release. And as it triggers a faster release of endorphins, it's more effective in lowering stress. Restrict sprinting to 3 days a week and avoid it if you have heart or respiratory problems.

Sprint interval training burns abdominal fat, hikes insulin sensitivity, and lowers carbs burning and high BP to avert diabetes and heart diseases. It helps build fat-free muscles by enhancing the protein synthesis pathways and hikes muscle stamina and efficiency by boosting oxygen exchange. It can also lift your mood by triggering endorphin release. Despite the benefits, it's best avoided by arthritic and cardiac patients.

Warm up with jogging and dynamic stretches like deep lunges. Heavylift 10 mins before a 10-sec sprint for better muscle use and alignment. Practice plyos with sideways jumps, such as agility ladder drills, 2 days a week, and yogasanas like balasana, for strong muscles and higher speed, endurance, anaerobic capacity, and lactic acid threshold. Rest well between each exercise and cool down with a walk after each sprint.

Strength Training, Speedwork To Get Faster And Stronger

Sprint uphill on the balls of your feet, upper body leaning forward, high knees, arms bent. Ensure you're fit enough to do hill sprints. Get fit first if you're not. Warm up before sprints, rest enough between sprints, spread workouts over the week. Start with 10-15 min workouts with 70% intensity; gradually increase duration. Sprint downhill only if you're in good shape.

Hill sprints force the body into fat-burning turbo mode by using immense energy. It engages your muscles, building resistance and strength. It revs up endurance and stamina, pushing your heart and lungs into overdrive. It increases testosterone and boosts sex drive. Sprinting on a slope is safer than on flat ground as shorter strides are gentler on the knees and joints.