Sprint Workout

If you’ve been following Lazy Girl Fitness for a while, you’ll know that my mum is pretty awesome when it comes to fitness and life in general. So when she called me the other week and asked if I’d put together a sprint training session for her and the lovely ladies (and occasional ring-in male) she trains with, I was more than happy to oblige – the only condition was that she had to provide feedback and take some piccies for me. Easy! 

This is kind of a complicated one, so I tried to break it down for maximum clarity. Please be brutally honest if it doesn’t make sense though, because I really want you to be able to give this one a go, and that will be difficult if you can’t understand what I’m writing!

LGF SPRINT WORKOUT 1
Part 1:
Shuttle Runs
> 3 rounds
> Each round is 2 minutes in length
> 60-90 seconds rest between rounds
> Round 1: warm up round, touch the ground at each cone
> Round 2: increase intensity, touch the ground at each cone and do two squat jumps each time you return to starting cone
> Round 3: as with round 2, but exchange the squat jumps for 1 chest-to-ground burpee

What to Do:
Short but not so sweet, these are an awesome way to build strength, speed and agility. In case you’re unfamiliar with the joy that is shuttle runs, let me explain the basics:

• First, place four cones approximately 8-10m apart from one another, in a straight line
• Starting at the first cone, sprint to the second cone, touch the ground then turn and sprint back to the starting cone
• Touch the ground at the starting cone, then immediately sprint to the third cone, touch the ground then turn and sprint back to the starting cone
• Next you’ll do the same thing to the fourth cone, and continue this pattern for the entire interval

PART 2:
High Knees with Sprints
> 6-8 rounds
> 30-60 seconds recovery between rounds (including active recovery)

What to Do:
OK so your heart rate is about to get higher. Designed to improve cardiovascular strength, speed and explosive power, this middle section of the workout is a bit of a killer. You’ll need five cones for this one:

• Put your starting cone in position and – again in a straight line – your second cone 10m in front of it. Your third cone should be 20m in front of the second cone, your fourth cone 10m in front of the third cone and your final cone 20m from the fourth cone.
• From the starting cone, do high knees to the second cone, keeping your steps small and driving your knees as high as you can
• As soon as you hit the second cone, change into a sprint for the 20m to cone three
• Back to high knees for the 10m to cone four
• And a sprint to the final cone
• That’s one round!
• Your jog back to the starting cone should be considered active recovery

PART 3:
Sprints
80-100m sprints
> 2 rounds at 60%
> 2 rounds at 80%
> 2 rounds at 100%
40-60m sprints
> 2 rounds at 60%
> 2 rounds at 80%
> 2 rounds at 100%

What to Do:
This is the good stuff. Sprints are awesome when you want to burn fat, build muscle, challenge your mental focus and (der) get faster.

• Set your cones up
• SPRINT
• 45-60 seconds rest between rounds

Sprint training is obviously important for anyone training for a specific event, but it’s also a great addition to your workout routine if you’re looking to build strength, explosive power and improve your aerobic conditioning.

This is a good workout to do as a group – partner up with someone of approximately the same pace and go at it! The workout should take you around 45minutes to complete, but I should add that it’ll be very important for you to do a proper warm up and cool down on top of this – working to maximum capacity should not be taken lightly, and as always, you should consult your doctor if you have any concerns or are undertaking a exercise program for the first time.

Mum and the gang have done this one three times now, so it’s almost time for me to mix it up. I’ll keep using them as the guinea pigs to ensure you guys get the best workout possible… that’s just the kind of gal I am!