RUN FOREST RUN (Sprinting)

SPRINTING OR JOGGING?  I'm no expert but I love the sprints but I say...BOTH!

My triumphant return to exercise has included, of course, heavy weights, plyometrics and sprinting. I did one long slow run for "pseudo-scientific" reasons for a comparative "study" of my cardiovascular abilities before and after sickness.   But that was it. Once I was feeling capable of more intense exercise I got my sprints on because that's what I like to do. Who doesn't like a 10 to 20 min workout that leaves you broken and with all the benefits of what may take twice the time running at a slower pace? I do but I begrudgingly do low and slow.  Gotta get my mileage in and build up my structural tolerance - boo.

Sprinting vs jogging, which is better? I have been asked this question a few times and never really know how to answer it. I prefer sprinting but see the merit of longer slower sessions once in a while. I don't log much more than a mile or three yet. I'm getting there. (Sparta calls.)  They are both good depending on what your trying to achieve and depending on how often you train. The body needs down time to repair.


If your goal is basic fitness and building aerobic capacity and endurance, jogging is for you.  If you want bigger muscles and more speed, go for sprinting. Sprinters contract their muscles maximally in short bursts which releases testosterone and growth hormones.  These hormones are anabolic in nature and therefore; build the body up.  They also rely primarily on fast twitch muscle fibers, which are thicker than the slow twitch muscles used in slow long distance runs. It's all about power and high energy output for short distances. However, the long distance runner is all about endurance. When you engage in aerobic activities, your body makes new capillaries so that oxygen can be delivered to the muscles efficiently. These new capillaries will allow you to jog for longer durations without becoming tired and when they run for long periods of time they release cortisol which is a catabolic hormone and therefore; breaks down muscle, heart included so take your recovery days. They don't require great amounts of strength for their event they need cardio, cardio, cardio.


Both sprinting and jogging can help in weight control. Jogging is effective for weight loss because you can usually jog for 30 to 60 minutes without getting too tired or pushing your body too hard.  The longer you jog the more you burn but these long bouts of exercise means that your body has to burn into your lean muscle tissue as well, and this can cause you to lose muscle mass as well as fat. You may end up losing a lot of weight, but remember your jogging ate away at the muscle as well as the fat. This is great if you want to look skinny but if you're looking to grow your muscles you may want to keep the low and slow cardio to a minimum. Sprints are short and intense which triggers the release of HGH (a potent fat burning hormone) and causes a greater level of EPOC (Excess Post-Exercise Oxygen Consumption). This means you are burning energy for long after your workout is finished in a biochemical environment primed for fat loss. Remember, it is the amount of energy you burn as a result of a workout that is important, not the amount of energy you burn in a workout.

The exact amount of calories you burn will depend on your starting weight and how fast you run.  Let's use a 150 lb person.  In comparison to the 20 calories burned during a one-minute sprint, this person would only burn around 10 calories per minute while jogging. If you do just 400 yards of sprint training (8 runs of 50 meters each), your workout will be complete. You’ll have burnt hundreds of calories, and you’ll be done with your workout well before your 45-minute jogging session would be over.   By increasing the intensity, you increases the total calories used and the total amount of energy from fat used as fuel in a shorter amount of time. This is why sprinting is so effective, it blasts the fat, but not the lean muscle mass which is great because the more lean muscle you have, the more fat you will burn and the faster your metabolism will be all of the time. After a high intensity workout your heart rate remains elevated and you continue to burn calories for hours - they call this the after burn  Sadly, this doesn't happen with aerobic training.

If you're like me, you like the quick and dirty method but if you need to get out, clear your mind for a half hour or more, then by all means go out and jog (or build mileage). Just give sprints a try on those days when you just haven't the time for a long, slow jog.  They will even help you get faster.  True!  But be cautious to ease into sprints, as it is an intense form of exercise.  Sprints will give you a full range of motion, activate your core and shorten the amount of steps needed to achieve similar goals. After all, you’re only running a few hundred meters rather than 3 or 4 kilometers, so it will be less repetitive motion strain on your body. You’ll find that your cardiovascular system will be pushed to its limits, your heart and lungs will be worked just as hard. It's going to hurt and you're going to be exhausted afterward.