Titus Perry
12/15/2024
Sprint interval training, also a form of "HIIT", can yield drastic changes to our bodies at the cellular level. There are few training modalities that will challenge every system of the body to the extent that sprinting can.
What if I told you that you could reap the benefits of an hour-long workout in as little as 15 minutes. Now, it goes without saying that moving your body daily is good for optimal health, and staying active throughout an entire day is also just as, if not more important. It does little good to exercise for 30, 60, or 90 minutes of your day, and to then turn around a remain mostly sedentary for another 10, 12, or 14 hours. While this point is important, there will be another post coming soon going over how staying active throughout the day or even fitting in multiple training sessions (dependent on your fitness level and schedule) can be incredibly advantageous.
Right now, it's about getting the most bang for your buck, as sometimes there just isn't a lot of time to dedicate to a full workout session. This is where high intensity styles of training can help you to continue supporting your health, longevity, and overall strength.
Sprint interval training, aka "SIT", is similar to high intensity interval training "HIIT", though there is a small but noticeable difference. With HIIT, sessions are typically longer, generally up to 30 minutes and are performed at 80%-90% of an individual's maximum heart rate (MHR). With SIT, sessions are shorter and far more intense as they require 100% of an individual's effort. This higher level of intensity naturally results in greater adaptations as the stress from this extreme effort triggers many changes in the body.
Some of these changes are commonplace things that most forms of exercise provide, while others go much deeper. The max intensity effort from sprinting can boost VO2 max, HGH, testosterone, insulin sensitivity, stamina, bone mineral density, and even bolster mitochondrial function and BDNF while also quickly and noticeably reducing body fat, blood pressure, mental stress, and more. These changes brought about through a max effort exercise like sprinting can make it seem like a trump card among all other exercises available.
There is the added benefit of EPOC (Excess post-exercise oxygen consumption). This basically means that when you complete several max effort sprint intervals, there will be a period of time (typically 12-24 hours, but sometimes as much as 48) where your body experiences an increase in metabolism and consumption of oxygen as it works to recover from the resource depletion brought on through the exercise. This is the fact of the matter with essentially all forms of exercise, though it's taken up a notch here.
The body will work overtime to replenish ATP stores, glycogen formed from lactate, restore oxygen levels in the blood, and stimulate fatty acid usage just to name a few. The body's thinking is naturally under the assumption that this intense sprint was in an effort to stay alive, whether by running to obtain food or to avoid becoming somebody else's. It is thinking in terms of "survival" and will overcompensate in its adaptation to such extreme stress to ensure you're better prepared to deal with it when you have to "run for your life" next time.
When you think of improving body composition, you probably think of isolation exercises or lowering your carb intake, but if you're extra serious you may even be using diuretics to create a more sculpted and dry physique (which can be dangerous or even deadly if not handled properly). But take a look at pro sprinters. They possess some of the most chiseled physiques in all of sport, and more than half of their training is some form of sprint work. Whether looking at Usain Bolt, Tyson Gay, Asafa Powell, Sha'Carri Richardson, Shelley-Ann-Fraser-Pryce, and so on, man or woman, they all possess balanced, flexible, well-muscled physiques with low body fat. Some of that is genetic, that is obvious, though just as much if not slightly more has to do with the many years of sprinting.
These results don't have to take so many years to show, in fact, its benefits are measurable within days to weeks. In this study https://tinyurl.com/9pmf962h it is demonstrated that healthy, recreationally active women were able to significantly lower body fat, lower waist circumference, and increase maximal oxygen intake after just 6 weeks of SIT (sprint interval training) performed 3 times per week.
These results are even more pronounced in men as seen here https://tinyurl.com/2s3dhs5t. It is no secret at this point, that all healthy, able-bodied adults should incorporate this type of training into their routine. It's benefits cross over into nearly all sports and has incredible health benefits to accompany it. With this being said it is in your best interest to speak with your primary healthcare provider about your readiness to engage in such strenuous work. This is especially true for those suffering from certain comorbidities such as pulmonary artery disease, certain cancers, etc. as the difficulty of the exercise can potentially cause complications and stress the body beyond its current capacity.
Be sure to speak with a licensed physician beforehand if this applies to you. For the rest of you, take your health and athleticism to the next level, and start sprinting. You will wish you did it sooner.
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