Sprint the fat off!

What if I told you there was one exercise that you HAD to include in your program to lose fat, tone up and build muscle?  Can one exercise do all that?!?!?! You better believe it! While I’m a huge proponent of strength training, there is another very effective training technique.  Sprinting is hands-down one of the most effective training protocols to use when focusing on fat loss, far superior to traditional steady-state cardio (Trapp, 2008).  That’s right folks, sprints beat out traditional running/walking on the treadmill when it comes to training for better body composition (Hottentrott, 2012). Here are the pros to sprinting:  

1. Much shorter duration.  With a higher intensity, there is a much better bang for your buck workout!  
2. Variation:  You don’t have to run, many studies done on sprinting were performed while cycling (Trapp, 2008).  One of my favorite sprinting protocols is hitting the stairs. Cue the eye-roll from my clients…
3. Fun:  Get a workout partner to compete with and you’ll push yourself harder wanting to win.  Then you can jump around in the water like Rocky and Apollo for the ultimate bromantic experience.  

Now, I want to make one thing clear.  While sprinting does have a tremendous effect on body composition (fat loss), it’s not going to negate the 3 double cheeseburgers, fries and milkshake you had at the drive-through.  You still want to follow the basic rules:

1. Train for strength and endurance (I’ll go into more detail in the future).  
2. Sprint.
3. Maintain a caloric deficit.  
4. Drink lots of water (aim for ½ gallon daily).
5. Eat your green stuff.

To your lifelong health and success,

-Coach D.  

References

Trapp, E., et al. The Effects of High-Intensity Intermittent Exercise Training on Fat Loss and Fasting Insulin Levels of Young Women. International Journal of Obesity. 2008. 32(4), 684-691.

Hottentrott, K., Sebastian, L., et al. Effects of High-Intensity Training and Continuous Endurance Training on Aerobic Capacity and Body Composition in Recreationally Active Runners. Journal of Sports Science and Medicine. 2012. 11, 483-488.