Remember this previous dose of Your Daily Health Fix where I suggested a workout to do when you’re short on time and equipment? Well here’s another quickie idea that will check your exercise box and bring with it a vast array of benefits.

Why you should sprint (even if you’re not into running) –

Aside from the fact that you can get a sprint workout in in next to no time, high intensity bursts should form part of a broader fitness program, including mobility training, strength work, and zone 2 cardio.

Did you know that . . .

• In a similar way to weight training, explosive movements including sprinting engage fast twitch (type 2) muscle fibres, helping to develop improved strength, more stable landing mechanics, and over time reduced risk of injury.

• Regular sprint training can have a similar impact on your cardio metabolic health (in terms of physical capacity and blood sugar control) as 45minutes of steady state activity.

• By including explosive sprint training into your routine you can significantly positively impact your overall abilities for endurance activities like distance running or cycling, and for being able to perform heavier lifts and to then recover quicker.

• Even older adults and people with suboptimal health can enjoy many of the same benefits from performing explosive movements. This is especially true for optimizing and maintaining cardio vascular health.

• Sprinting has been shown to improve symptoms of depression and boost cognitive function.

• Performing intense and explosive movements can upregulate steroid hormone production in men helping to stave off age related decline in testosterone levels.

• Sprinting helps to condition and maintain strong bones – this is important as we age, and especially for post menopausal women.

Try this:

• 🏃🏽‍♀️ Warm up well – either with some floor exercises or a gentle jog for 5 minutes.

• 🚶🏻 Walk for 3 minutes.

• 🏃🏽‍♀️ Then perform a 15 to 30 second all out sprint (max power). Keep walking gently for 2-3 minutes and then repeat.

• 🔁 Do this for around 5 intervals. (If you’ve been giving it all, 5 should feel like enough).

Note – If you’re new to exercise, it’s best to build some basic strength and mobility before moving on to explosive movements. When you are ready to attempt sprinting, work at 85% acceleration and speed for a few sessions before attempting to go faster and more explosive.