Sprint Workout: Antiaging FitnessIf you are over 30, you are likely experiencing somatopause!
Somatopause is the medical term for the weight gain, loss of muscle, energy decline and wrinkled skin you experience when you hit middle age.
To combat somatopause, medical researchers say people must incorporate anaerobic exercise into their weekly fitness routine.
Anaerobic exercise programs, such as SPRINT WORKOUT, help you release your fitness hormone
Researchers show that high-intensity, anaerobic fitness training makes the body produce anti-aging, anti-MIDDLE-aging, athletic performance improving growth hormone NATURALLY.(Impact of acute exercise intensity on pulsatile growth hormone release in men, 2000, Pritzlaff).
This workout is perfect for time-crunched adults because it only takes 20-minutes.
In the truest form, the Sprint Workout means you progressively run 10 sprints for 60 meters (70 yards) in 8 – 15 seconds with a 1.5 to 2 minute walk-back recovery between the sprints.
Running is just one of the ways you can perform the Sprint Workout.
You can do SPRINT WORKOUT with any aerobic activity: swimming, running, rowing, cycling—you name it. After a three-minute warm-up, start a series of eight 30-second intervals.
Prep your muscles for the pace with the first three, then push yourself as hard as possible through the rest.
"If you can keep charging past 30 seconds, you aren't trying hard enough," says Sprint Workout trainer Phil Campbell.
Between each sprint, slow to an easy pace for 90 seconds, to fully recover for the next one. Finish with a couple minutes of easy work.
For the best results, do a series every other day so your body has time off.
If you don't currently have an exercise routine, Campbell suggests you start with at least three weeks of moderate sprints to strengthen your joints' connective tissue and to prep the muscles for full-bore exertion.
Injury Prevention
It's important to spend at least 6 to 8 weeks progressively building up to the Sprint Workout, and warm-up before every workout. And it's always a good idea to obtain physician clearance prior to beginning a fitness program.
THERE ARE MANY WAYS to accomplish the Sprint Workout.
Dr. Steve Kail and many others, report that the recumbent bike is a great way for those with bad knees to do the Sprint Workout.
It’s a good idea to pedal for 2 minutes to get your rhythm and warm-up prior to the first sprint. Then sprint/pedal hard for 20 - 30 seconds with 1.5 – 2 minutes slow-pedal recovery between the 10 sprints.
Swimming, biking, XC skiing, even power-walking up an elevated driveway will do the job, if it will get you winded. There are many ways to perform the Sprint Workout.
Be creative!
The SPRINT WORKOUT program consists of FIVE minutes of sprint intervals* - broken out into TEN, quick 30-second segments - and 20 minutes of "active rest."
The program includes the following phases:
The warm-up period gradually increases your heart rate, respiration and the blood flow to working muscles. The warm-up is controlled by the user to meet their specific needs.
Interval training starts immediately after the warm-up with a 30-second sprint interval. Nine recovery intervals of one minute and 30 seconds will alternate with the ten 30-second sprint intervals.
The cool-down period helps return your body's systems to resting levels.
Less demand is placed on your heart during recovery if an appropriate cool-down takes place following the exercise.
