Beginner’s Guide to Sprint Intervals

Sports-SpecificFitnessCardio TrainingAerobic Training

4 Sep

Sprint interval training (SIT) has become an incredibly popular workout method for professional athletes and regular fitness enthusiasts. This intense high-intensity interval training provides significant exercise benefits like increased endurance, fat-burning, and improved cardiovascular health. The great news is that with proper preparation, even beginners can incorporate sprint intervals into their workouts to reap the rewards.

What Are Sprint Intervals?

Sprint intervals involve short bursts of high-intensity exercise alternated with periods of rest or low-intensity exercise. For running, this means sprinting at max speed for a time period like 30 seconds, followed by light jogging or walking for 1-5 minutes to recover before the next sprint interval. The work-to-rest ratios can vary, but 30 seconds of work is usually followed by 4-5 minutes of rest. 6-10 total sprint intervals are typical for a training session.

Benefits of Sprint Intervals for Beginners

Research has found that sprint interval training provides health and fitness benefits on par with or beyond traditional steady-state cardio exercise. Some of the top benefits for beginners include:

● Increased Anaerobic Capacity – The maximal effort taxes your anaerobic energy systems, increasing the ability to fuel high-intensity exercise.

● Muscle Building – Sprints recruit fast-twitch muscle fibres, resulting in more significant muscle growth than moderate endurance exercise.

● Fat Burning – SIT burns more calories per session than steady-state cardio and elevates metabolism post-workout to torch fat.

● Endurance Gains – As few as 6 SIT sessions can significantly improve VO2 max, raising endurance capacity.

● Hormone Response – Sprints stimulate natural HGH and testosterone release, which aids muscle development.

● Cardiovascular Health – SIT improves VO2 max, blood pressure, cholesterol profiles, vascular function, and traditional cardio.

How Beginners Should Structure Sprint Workouts

When just starting with sprint intervals, follow these guidelines:

● Warm up thoroughly before sprints to prepare muscles and the cardiovascular system. 5-10 minutes of light jogging or cycling works well.

● Choose simple bodyweight exercises like sprinting, stair climbing, jumping rope, or cycling/rowing. Advanced beginners can use weights, too.

● Start with 4-6 sprint intervals in a session to allow the body to adapt to the intensity.

● Aim for a 1:5 work-to-rest ratio. For example, 30 seconds of max effort followed by 2.5 minutes of rest.

● Run sprints maximally but finish before muscle fatigue sets in so form doesn’t suffer.

● Do a 5-10 minute cool down and stretch session afterwards.

● Allow for at least 1-2 days of recovery between sprint workouts.

Sample Sprint Workout Routine

Here is a sample sprint interval treadmill routine appropriate for a beginner:

● Warm-up: 5 minutes light jog at an easy pace

● Sprint interval 1: 30 seconds maximal sprint at 10+ mph speed