After watching the 2024 Paris Olympics, many people have become inspired to get in shape. But many people take the wrong approach to reach their goals.
Most People
Most people who have a gym membership have great intentions in terms of getting in shape. But the reality is that many people waste a lot of time pounding away for hours on a treadmill at a commercial gym.
They are on that treadmill because they believe that doing hours and hours of cardio is the main key to fat loss. Cardio can assist with fat loss by helping you burn more calories, but the true key to losing fat comes from creating an energy deficit. This means that you must use more energy on a daily/weekly/monthly basis than you consume to lose body fat at a steady rate.
If your main goal is fat loss, the most effective way of reducing your energy intake would be to reduce your daily caloric intake from food. Cardio is important in terms of heart health and actually being in great shape. But pounding away on the treadmill for hours on end is not the answer.
Time Saved
You can get more done in less time with sprinting.
No other exercise will make a lifter faster, more powerful, and stimulate fat loss like sprinting. And another benefit that is not talked about much in terms of sprinting is the time you will save sprinting vs. going nowhere fast on the treadmill.
Listen, most people have busy schedules between work and family obligations. Do you really want to stay on a soul-draining treadmill, elliptical, or stairmaster for 1-2 hours just to have the machine tell you that you burned 100 to 200 calories? Are you kidding me?
Unfortunately, many lifters will repeat this process over and over for years and still not see the results they want to see when they look in the mirror. That is a deflating feeling. Sprinting will allow you to get an effective workout done in a fraction of the time. Look below to see a brief comparison of sprinting vs. exercising in the cardio section in terms of time.
Sprinting Workout:
• Warm- Up: 10-12 minutes
• Workout: 15-25 minutes
• Cool Down: 5 minutes
• Total Workout Time: 30-42 minutes
Cardio Section Workout:
• Warm-Up: 5 minutes
• Workout: 60-120 minutes
• Cool Down: 5 minutes
• Total Workout Time: 70-130 minutes
The old adage of quality over quantity applies here as no cardio machine can compete with the supreme power of sprinting. If you are new to sprinting or you have not run sprints since high school, you would be better off starting with hill sprints. Sprinting up a hill will prevent you from reaching top speed, which will significantly decrease the likelihood that you pull a hamstring.
Conclusion
There is no reason why if you are healthy and injury-free that you should not be sprinting. You won’t be good on day 1, but have you ever met anyone who was good at something on day 1? We all need to put in the time, work, and consistency to become great.
I’ll holla at you next time.
The People’s Trainer,
Fitman
