With so many women seemingly looking for an effective way to loose weight (especially after menopause) wanted to pass along a few tips I found regarding sprinting.
Study subjects who spent just 20 minutes mixing sprints with jogging lost three times the fat off their legs and butt in 15 weeks (and God only knows how many women want to shape up this area) compared to those who jogged steadily for 40 minutes, research from the University of New South Wales in Sydney finds. (Source: http://health.yahoo.com/experts/healthieryou/3295/burn-more-calories-in-...)
And if you need further proof that sprinting may be the dirty, little secret to weight loss, here’s a little more evidence courtesy of BodyWise magazine.
• A British study showed that levels of human growth hormone – which assists in building muscle and eliminating fat, shot up 530 percent in people after just 30 seconds of sprinting as fast as they could on a stationary bike;
• In December 2006, researchers from Canada reported that only two weeks of interval training boosted a woman’s ability to burn fat during exercise by 36 percent;
• Fitness researchers from Austria had 18 women perform 20 minutes of interval training on a stationary bike. Their exercise included eight-second sprints followed by 12 seconds of recovery throughout the workout, three days a week. These women reportedly lost an over of 5 and a half pounds over 15 weeks without dieting.
And if you’re not sure how to start sprinting, here’s a few tips from Phil Campbell, the creator of the Sprint 8 program. Campbell says you don’t need to run full speed to achieve great results. Biking, swimming, elliptical training and power walking are all great for sprint training. Here’s a few methods for sprinting courtesy of bodywise.
Three-two-one method
• Three minutes of warm up at an easy (3) to moderate (6) pace.
• Three minutes: Boost intensity (7)
• Two minutes: Push a little harder (8)
• One minute: Keep increasing your effort, and finish the last ten to 15 seconds as hard as you can (10)
• Six minutes: Recover (4 to 5)
• Repeat the three-two-one interval
• Two minutes (cool down)
On-off
• Five minutes: Warm up at an easy to moderate effort (5 to 6)
• Two minutes: Increase your intensity to just shy of full-on effort (9)
• Two minutes: Recover (5 to 6)
• Repeat the on-off interval four times
• Three minutes: Cool down (4)
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