5 Key Reasons Why We Should Run Sprints
5 Key Reasons Why We Should Run Sprints
Keeping fit and healthy is in the psyche of every health conscious person. At least that is the general consensus. This is why a mention of sprinting will immediately capture the attention of the athlete within you. Be that as it may, sprinting and physical exercise for that matter, have almost entirely been relegated to the perennial Olympics, winter sports, and the likes. You probably know who Usain Bolt is, and his dexterity on the track, but when was the last time you sprinted?
Keeping fit and healthy is in the psyche of every health conscious person. At least that is the general consensus. This is why a mention of sprinting will immediately capture the attention of the athlete within you. Be that as it may, sprinting and physical exercise for that matter, have almost entirely been relegated to the perennial Olympics, winter sports, and the likes. You probably know who Usain Bolt is, and his dexterity on the track, but when was the last time you sprinted?
Truth be told, the numbers do not look very encouraging. Based on current data, one in every three Americans is overweight. Additionally, two out of three adults is considered to be overweight, or to be suffering from obesity. More than one in three adults is considered to be obese while one out of 13 adults is considered to be suffering from extreme obesity. This extends as far as the next generation, with one out of 6 children and adolescents between the ages of two and nineteen being considered to suffer from obesity. The statistics, evidently, clearly indicate that Americans do not do much of sprinting, or physical exercise for that matter. Did America simply forget the merits of physical exercises?
Well, here is a refresher on why you really need to trace back your sneakers and get your sprint on.
Truth be told, the numbers do not look very encouraging. Based on current data, one in every three Americans is overweight. Additionally, two out of three adults is considered to be overweight, or to be suffering from obesity. More than one in three adults is considered to be obese while one out of 13 adults is considered to be suffering from extreme obesity. This extends as far as the next
generation, with one out of 6 children and adolescents between the ages of two and nineteen being considered to suffer from obesity. The statistics, evidently, clearly indicate that Americans do not do much of sprinting, or physical exercise for that matter. Did America simply forget the merits of physical exercises?
Well, here is a refresher on why you really need to trace back your sneakers and get your sprint on.
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Build Muscle Mass
Sprinting is considered one of the most powerful and effective exercises for giving you a shapely and appealing physique. Contrary to common belief, when you sprint you engage more than just your legs. In fact, numerous muscle groups act to give you that flight, effectively targeting different muscles in your body. Sprinting is in itself a form of anaerobic exercise, which means that the sprinter will build muscles. This is well corroborated by a 2012 study, Sprint Exercise Enhances Skeletal Muscle p70S6k Phosphorylation and More So in Women than in Men, where the researchers determined that sprinting is associated with a significant increase in muscle fiber, especially in women.
More Rapid Fat Loss
Sprinting is arguably one of the best conditioning training exercises for burning that unwanted fat in your body. One of the features of sprinting is shorter and more intensive routines. Consequently, sprinting results to more rapid loss of body fat as compared to other long aerobic exercises such as jogging or cycling. Researchers Achten and Jeukendrup in a 2004 study (Optimizing fat oxidation through exercise and diet) observed that exercise intensity and duration are critical determinants of fat oxidation. The researchers observed that maximal levels of fat oxidation were achieved when the intensity of training became high. The mode of oxidation has also been observed as a critical factor, with sprinting observed to have higher oxidation effects as compared to cycling or jogging.
Improved Glucose Control
The above study also observed that an increase in phosphorylation of p70S6k associated with high intensity oxidation had a direct effect on increasing serum insulin. This is consistent with a similar 2009 study published by BMC Endocrine Disorders, which established a direct link between high intensity routines, and improved insulin levels. This potentially reduces risk factors such as high blood pressure, high cholesterol, high abdominal fat, and high blood glucose. The biology behind it is quite simple. Sprints provide high intensity training which depletes the body of the sugars stored in it as glycogen. This promotes glucose control in the body.
Improve Cardiovascular Health
Sprinting is essential for optimal functioning or your heart. Furthermore, sprinting has been linked with lowered blood pressure, with the rapid muscle twitches associated with improved heart function. The extra effort and power that goes into sprints forces your heart to beater faster and harder, which makes it stronger and reduces your risk of heart disease. It should go without saying that the current overweight conundrum in the United States and the Western world in general, has predisposed many people to cardiovascular diseases.
Stress Reduction
A 2017 study in the Journal of Behavioral Brain Research into the relationship between high intensity training and depression and anxiety in rats observed that sprint interval routines were more effective in improving anxiety and depression, due to a greater increase in brain derived neurotropic factor (BDNF) which is essential for brain health. Lower levels of this BDNF have been linked to depression, anxiety, epilepsy, and even Alzheimer’s with age.
Conclusion
The benefits of sprinting continue to be supported by current as well as new research, particularly due to the numerous benefits to physical as well as mental health. In fact, recent findings indicate that these benefits can be obtained with sprints of shorter distances, which builds on previous studies which recommended 4 to 6 thirty second sprints with limited recovery.
What are you waiting for? It’s time to dust off those sneakers and get going.
Sources
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/28445707
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2640399/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15212756/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22268492
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