Jogging may just be the most popular form of physical exercise there is yet personally I don't get it. I mean, why run slowly when you could run quickly?
The aim of this blog post is to make my case for sprinting over jogging. So here we go......
Sprint workouts takes less time
The high intensity of sprinting means that you cannot train for as long. Anyone who has done an interval sprints workout will know what I mean, it only takes a few runs before your legs feel like lead and you are gasping for breath. In a world where most people are always chasing the clock this is a good thing!
Sprint workouts reduce overuse injuries
Linked to the above point. During a sprint workout you will cover a fraction of the distance you would cover in a jogging workout. A reduced running volume means you are far less likely to incur the common overuse injuries that plague joggers.
N.B. on the flip side you are more likely to pull a hamstring when sprinting
Sprint workouts are better for fat loss
No contest here, the high intensity of sprint workouts 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.
Sprint workouts preserve your muscle mass
Sprinting helps to conserve your muscle mass, excessive jogging will do the opposite. For visual evidence take a look at a 100m runner and compare their physique to a 10,000m runner. Building and conserving lean muscle is good for a whole host of reasons including: increased strength, improved body aesthetics, increased metabolism and increased insulin sensitivity.
Sprint workouts enhance your anaerobic and aerobic energy pathways
Sprinting will help turbo charge both your anaerobic and aerobic energy pathways. Jogging will really only help to enhance the latter, this leaves some gaping holes in your conditioning.
Sprint workouts improve the strength of your heart
A more intense workload will trigger greater strength adaptations in the heart (after all your heart is a muscle and responds to work demands in the same way as other muscles)
This point often confuses people so i shall use the following analogy to help explain. If you wanted to get stronger biceps would you be better off bicep curling a really heavy weight 10 times or would you be better off bicep curling a really light weight 100 times?
The answer is of course the former. Greater strength is obtained through lifting the heavier weight (greater intensity). The latter will help to improve the strength endurance of your bicep muscles. Your heart has already been beating every few seconds, of every minute, of every hour, of every day, of every year for your whole life so it is safe to say its endurance is already pretty good.
Sprint workouts will improve your sports performance
Sprinting will almost certainly improve your performance on the athletics field to a greater extent than jogging. I can think of very few examples where being able to run slower than your opposition is an advantage. Instead, almost all field sports are characterised by high intensity bursts followed by short recovery periods.
Conclusions
There you have it, 7 great reasons why you should switch your jogging workouts to sprint workouts. After all if you can run, why not run fast?
If you want to learn more about my favorite form of sprint conditioning then click on the link below......
Hill Sprints
Have a great weekend
Every few weeks I create, publish and share my Gymless.com Newsletter packed full of information to help you improve your body composition, strength and fitness using bodyweight exercise. To subscribe simply enter your details below...