SPRINTING: THE PUREST, MOST POWERFUL PHYSIQUE-SHAPER IN AN ATHLETE'S ARSENAL:

If you were to ask me to pick one form of exercise and say that - for as long as I lived, for the remainder of my days - I could do as much of it as I wanted, whenever I wanted, but could never work out any other way, why, I'd look you right in the face and say "sex."

But then you'd probably say sex doesn't count, and that it's not a valid form of exercise, to which I'd probably reply "oh the hell it ain't," and then we'd probably end up getting into a really long, heated argument about it.

But - as a fictional hypothetical - let's assume you win that dispute, and force me to pick again. Well if that were the case, it wouldn't take me long to reply "sprinting," because'deep down'I'd know I made the right choice.

Of course I'm being slightly facetious, but I think I may have also piqued a few people's interest. Especially those of you who typically scoff at HIIT, run 6-day weight splits, and haven't done cardio since the Presidential Physical Fitness Test's timed mile back in middle school.

Think about it. I, of all people, have one of the most unhealthy, obsessive fixations on being supra-physiologically ripped and cut. "And yet even in spite of this Loki," you ask, "you would be willing to leave the iron behind for all eternity?"

Yup. Because if I knew I could sprint whenever and however it pleased me, I know I'd be juuuuuuust fine - maybe not all that big, but fine (perhaps even "damn-fine").

SPRINTING: THE COURVOISIER OF CARDIO

When it comes to cutting you up and promoting a nutrient-partitioning milieu conducive to building and maintaining a lean, muscular physique, sprinting simply cannot be beat. A simple look at competitive athletics demonstrates this pretty clearly.

I am NOT even talking about PRO-athletics, a world rife with performance-enhancing-drug use, one-in-a-million-gene-possessing individuals who are able to log hours of gym-time every day while being tended to by a virtual cadre of trainers, coaches, dieticians and sports-specialists.

No, instead just think back to your high-school days (unless you were home-schooled, in which case may someone have mercy on your sad, coddled soul, because you're just going to have to skip a few sentences).

Okay - mild genetic-selectivity aside - who were the most ripped (i.e. lowest amount of bodyfat relative to the amount of lean body mass carried) guys on your football team? The running backs, wide receivers and defensive backs, right? Track team? Jumpers and guys who ran events 400m and shorter. Basketball team guards?

Almost none of the guys or girls whose athletic livelihoods depended on their being able to sprint at maximal or near-maximal speed (causing them to thereby hone their anaerobic threshold in the process) ever had an appreciable amount of bodyfat on their frames during their playing days.

Most folks (while speeding by the track on the way to the weight-room) still mistakenly attribute this phenomenon to simple 'ectomorphism.' Well I, Loki, shall not tolerate it any longer, and that is why I have come to preach the gospel of "going really fast with your feet."

The fact of the matter is, those kids' physiques may have been influenced by 'ectomorphism,' but they were influenced a whole helluva' lot more by "the big A's" when it comes to nutrient-partitioning, fat oxidation and physique-augmentation:

• 5'-AMP-mediated protein kinase (AMPk)
• Acetyl-CoA carboxylase (ACC) and
• ADP : ATP (adenosine di- and tri- phosphate, respectively) cellular ratios.

The fact of the matter is, unless you simply happen to be the most inept Google-user on God's green Earth, if you're reading this article, you care about exercise and how you look. And if you care about either (and hopefully both), then you should make sure you save some room in that split of yours for some sprint work. Because 'booking it big-time' - be it on a track, in a park, in your yard, or from 'the 5-0' - will do more to develop your aesthetic and anaerobic capacities than anything else out there.

Trying to lose fat? You should be sprinting. Trying to gain lean mass? You should be sprinting. Trying to defy conventional established wisdom and be really badass and do both simultaneously in an effort to 'recomp?' Then you damn-sure NEED to be sprinting. And a look at the physiological effects and adaptations elicited by consistent (and possibly even infrequent) sprint-sessions,  ... will make things abundantly clear.

http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/par46.htm

SPRINT IT OFF

Boost your cardio with intervals and torch more calories

 378 

  34 Google +9  11 Print

Cardio is the cornerstone to any good weight-loss plan—especially intervals, where you alternate going as fast as possible with brief periods of recovery. To help you make those sprints as effective as possible, we asked Phil Campbell, an interval-training expert and author of Ready, Set, Go! Fitness for his best fat-burning tips.

Warm-up

• "You want to take your heart rate up progressively," Campbell says, "Focus on large muscles like the hamstrings and quads. Try ankle circles, knee circles, some light hip stretches—they all get your muscles and ligaments prepared to fire faster."

Time Your Sprints

• "The key is to get totally winded in 30 seconds or less," he says, "If you're on a treadmill [or an exercise bike], start sprinting as the machine speeds up. When it reaches top speed, go all out for 30 seconds. Then slow it down and go nice and easy for 90 seconds to recover." If you're running outside, try to cover about 200 feet—roughly half a city block—as fast as possible. Walk slowly for 90 seconds to cool down, then repeat your course.

Straighten Up

Almost everyone leans forward when they work out on a cardio machine. This lets you use gravity to pull you forward, making the effort a bit easier. "If you stay upright during your sprints," Campbell says, "it keeps the intensity on your muscle the entire time."

Never Rush Recovery

• You get the biggest spike in calories burned when your body is forced to transition from a state of rest to a state of full-on activity, Campbell says. "Even if you feel like you can go all out again after just 30 seconds, you're still better off waiting the extra minute and then pushing yourself even harder."

Go Gradually Outdoors

• "When running outside, start with 50 percent of your top speed on your first interval. Go up to 60 or 70 percent on the next and so on." Push your body as hard as you can as you get into the groove of the workout, says Campbell.

Don't Count . . . Sprint!

• "You should never feel duty-bound to do two intervals today, three the next time you work out, and four the time after that. The overall intensity of the intervals you complete is more important than how many you do in any given workout."

Fast Fact: You can burn 500 calories by running ten 100-yard sprints.

http://www.mensfitness.com/training/sprint-it