Wednesday, March 31, 2010

Train Like an Olympic Sprinter (Or just look like one)!

Have you ever marveled at the strong, explosive legs and powerful stride of Jackie Joyner Kersey? Have you yearned for the sleek, defined yet muscular arms of Carl Lewis? These are World Class Olympic Sprinters, however, just because you are not doesn’t mean you cannot train like one!

The first key component in building muscle like a sprinter is to be sure that you are using the proper cardio and conditioning methods. Long duration cardio or aerobic training can actually burn muscle. In the contrary, high intensity methods like sprinting can have a double pronged effect of burning fat and inducing an anabolic state helping you to build muscle!

In training, sprints should be varied between regular flat ground sprints, hill sprints, sled sprints and prowler sprints. If you are training for speed, you will need a lower volume of training and would need to take longer rest breaks between each sprint. Theses should not be performed more than twice per week. If you are training for aesthetic purposes, you can sprint at different intensities for a duration of 15-30 minutes, with 30-90 second rest intervals, 3-4 days per week.


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