FITNESS LIFESTYLE

SPRINT INTO FITNESS

By: Obi Obadike

Former college track star, Obi Obadike, shares some strategies for getting fit by sprinting. Photo by Bryan Lamb

HOW MANY TIMES have we seen a track meet where sprinters were competing and we were amazed at how sculpted their legs and abs were. Well this doesn’t happen by just waking up and stepping on a track. The reason behind this is the incredible sprinting training that is involved in becoming a proficient sprinter.

Sprinting is one of the most explosive and amazing workouts you could ever do. Matter of fact, it is gaining in popularity right now among celebrities who work out to stay in fit shape. The specific body parts sprinting targets include the butt, hips, hamstrings, quads, calves and abs. And, it and can be done outside the gym in any local park or track.

Sprinting is great for fat loss and increases your metabolic rate for several days. High intensity sprinting will burn calories long after your workout is complete. It is an exercise that can be done by men or women. In fact, many fitness and figure competitors incorporate sprinting in their training because of how positive the results are in building lean, long muscles.

Sprinting is arguably the best way to firm your legs and butt without incorporating resistance training. Don’t get me wrong, doing squats, lunges and hack squats are also great ways to train your legs. But, sprinting is the best alternative to these leg exercises. Let’s be honest with ourselves, we all get bored sometimes going to the gym every day and lifting the same weights and doing the same exercises. The day you get bored and feel your workout is too monotonous is probably the day you need to change things up. And, the best way to change your workout is to try sprinting and see if this change can help you.

Before you start to sprint you want to jog a lap around the track to get your legs and body warmed up. After doing that you want to make sure that you’ve stretched those quads and hamstrings before sprinting. If you fail to stretch those specific areas you definitely can be prone to injury because of the high impact of the training. After 10 minutes of stretching you should be warmed up to start your workout.

For beginners, I would advise sprinting at 50 percent speed until you feel comfortable and until you’ve developed enough stamina to complete the workout at full speed. A typical sprinting workout that any average person should be able to do is six to eight 100-meter sprints. Each 100-meter sprint can be done at any speed but to receive the optimal results of the training you would have to sprint at full speed.

After each 100-meter sprint you should walk back to the line slowly. Your rest between each sprint is your walk back to the 100-meter line. When you get to the line, if you still feel fatigued, then rest a minute or two longer before starting again. After completing this workout your legs will be incredibly pumped and your abs will feel sore. Matter of fact, it will feel like you just finished doing a serious squat or leg press workout.

Remember every time you lift your leg in the air when you’re sprinting you are working your abs. A world-class sprinter covers a 100 meters in about 44 to 47 steps so the average person would probably cover that distance in probably 57 to 60 steps. So think about this, you’ve worked your abs in one 100-meter sprint 57 to 60 times. That’s quite incredible since most people don’t do that many sit-ups in one set or even an entire workout.

You should be able to finish this sprinting workout in about 25 to 30 minutes. It is important that when you are done to warm down to prevent cramps and to break up the lactic acid in your legs. If you start incorporating sprinting in your weekly workouts, this is what’s going to happen: you will burn fat rapidly, you will work your abs, increase your metabolic rate, build your legs and build a firmer butt. This can be done without using a single weight in a gym. Now how exciting and encouraging could that be for you? MS&F