If you're a strength athlete looking for ways to improve your conditioning and power, incorporating sprints into your workout routine is a great way to do just that!
Sprint workouts are an ideal form of high-intensity interval training (HIIT) which can provide many physical benefits. Not only will these workouts effectively challenge your body and help you build endurance, but they can also help you increase speed and explosiveness.
Related Article: Sprints for Fat Loss and Improved Performance
Sprint Workouts for Strength Athletes
Sprinting may initially seem intimidating, so taking things slowly and starting with shorter distances or intervals is essential. As your fitness level increases, you can gradually add more distance or intensity to the drills. To get started, here are different sprint workouts explicitly tailored for strength athletes:
Sprint Workout for Powerlifters
Powerlifters, the archetype of strength and power, tend to prioritize their focus on the big three: squats, bench press, and deadlifts - neglecting any form of aerobic activity.
However, a sprint workout can be an integral to helping them reach their goals more effortlessly! Introducing high-intensity cardio, such as running at regular intervals, will improve your physical capabilities and mental fortitude when it comes time to hit that heavy lift.
Strength athletes should be strategic about their programming, particularly when it comes to high-impact exercises like sprinting. If done correctly, however, the results can be incredibly beneficial for powerlifters - giving them those short bursts of energy needed to push through that last rep and strengthen their capacity even further.
With careful consideration given to recovery needs and timing of exercise bouts, sprinting workouts are a valuable asset in any strength athlete's toolkit.
How to Do It?
- Complete this workout at the finish of your squat day for maximum effectiveness!
- Schedule it as a two-a-day routine with your strength exercises done in the morning and then this cardio program six hours later.
- Doing so allows you to combine recovery time, which is essential after an intense leg session.
- With this sprint exercise regime, you are running again and giving your legs another physical challenge they need to recover from, along with any active rest activities during benching days.
- Get your blood pumping with a two-minute walk or jog, then sprint for fifteen to thirty seconds.
- Depending on how experienced you are, repeat this routine four to ten times.
Sprint Workout for Weightlifters
Weightlifting and sprinting may seem strange. However, they are more similar than most would think. Both activities require much energy to be expended in short bursts - whether you need to move your body quickly or an intense weight load at the same speed.
You must have strong legs, excellent technique, and explosive power as a weightlifter. For each of your sprints, workouts aim to stay focused on maintaining perfect form across all sets - this way, your objectives will remain sharp throughout training sessions which can help unlock further potential gains while keeping fatigue levels low.
If you are a weightlifter, ensure that your mind and body are focused and ready to give it their all when attempting snatches or clean & jerks. Completing this workout after your introductory session is also essential, as the barbell requires excellent precision and energy!
To increase speed and coordination during active recovery, incorporate some drills into the routine. To avoid fatigue from high-intensity exercises like sprints, save them for later in the day rather than immediately following your main workout. You can also invest in Wrist Wraps for a better weightlifting experience.
How to Do It?
- Try this challenging and rewarding exercise if you're prepared to jumpstart your workout routine.
- Begin with a 60-meter sprint.
- Then move on to a 120-meter walk or jog, followed by 20 high-knee skips (10 per side).
- Repeat these steps between four and eight times based on your experience in working out.
- Get ready for some actual results!
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Sprint Workout for Crossfitters
CrossFitters rely on the power and speed to complete their workouts successfully. From sprints to moving swiftly from the rig to barbell, CrossFit athletes must continuously push themselves against a time crunch and finish with efficiency in mind.
These high-intensity intervals can help you excel during competitions and build the mental fortitude needed for all aspects of this sport!
For CrossFit athletes, sprinting is often involved in WOD- workout of the day as a standalone activity or with weighted vests and sled pushes. Nonetheless, running usually is one of many exercises included.
What's more common is to mix it up by combining sprints with barbell work, odd object training, and gymnastics-style movements like muscle-ups or toes-to-bar.
To achieve peak efficiency for CrossFitters of all levels - this workout incorporates similar exercises that will challenge you to maximize your work capacity!
Test your strength and speed with this time-based challenge!
How to Do It?
- Begin by sprinting 120 meters, followed by 10 muscle-ups; then, dash 90 meters before knocking out 10 chest-to-bar pull-ups.
- Continue to a 60-meter run followed by 10 sandbag cleans, finishing the workout with a final 30-meter sprint.
- If you cannot perform Muscle-ups, substitute full dips or bench dips instead.
- In place of Chest -to bar Pull-ups if needed, use traditional pull-ups or jumping pull-ups instead for an equally intense workout!
Sprint Workout for Bodybuilders
Despite bodybuilders being most at ease in the gym, that doesn't restrict them from pushing their limits on the track. Sprinting workouts are a fantastic way of torching calories and ultimately helping achieve an optimal body fat percentage - something many aspiring bodybuilders strive for. It's certainly worth trying for any fitness enthusiast!
Moreover, sprint training provides a nice change of pace for bodybuilders. However, these short bursts can strain your joints and muscles excessively. As such, it is essential that any supplemental exercises you perform promote recovery as much as possible to maintain high-quality muscle growth.
To ensure that sprinting becomes a welcome addition to your workout routine, ensure you're consuming adequate calories and taking in enough macros to compensate for the demands of the intense activity. You must do so to avoid putting too much strain on your body and compromising essential recovery time.
When it comes to cardio workouts, remember that what might be considered an easy jog by seasoned athletes may still feel like a high-intensity sprint for beginners. Don't rush yourself; gradually progress until you reach peak performance levels!
When designing your sprint workouts, plan them according to your chosen exercise split. At first sight, this might seem counterintuitive - running after strenuous strength exercises? However, it is precisely what you want as a bodybuilder: more recovery time for the legs and most of your energy devoted to lifting.
How to Do It?
- An example is a 90-second walk or jog followed by 15 seconds of sprinting.
- Then 60-second walk/jog + 30s sprints; run 45 secs after the ninety-second walking/jogging period; finish with 2 minutes of slow speed walking/running.
- Repeat three or four times and experience maximum muscle gains!
Sprint Workout for Strongman Athletes
Strongman athletes understand the intense conditioning required to perform a truck pull or Atlas stone load. Sports-specific sprinting should be in their training schedule to ensure they are adequately conditioned for such strenuous activities; this entails running at varying lengths and with different heavy objects.
This approach offers maximum benefit due to its relevance to strongman's needs compared to other conditioning workouts.
Loaded sprint workouts utilize the principles of producing high amounts of force and moving quickly to apply them to strongman events. You can incorporate various moves to keep your training intensity high without becoming monotonous.
When you think about sprinters, running usually comes to mind. However, this workout is more multi-dimensional, providing athletes with the adequate load they need when taking on a strenuous task such as Strongman competitions.
How to Do It?
- Use a lighter weight for this conditioning workout on your days with an already intense training load.
- That way, you'll still be executing hard work and combining movements to achieve better results without affecting other regular parts of your regimen or impacting recovery time.
- Here is the series: 30-foot sandbag carry followed by a 30-foot sled push and end with a 30-foot sled pull; repeat from 4 - 6 times overall.
The Bottom-Line
Strength athletes must keep their conditioning and power at peak levels to stay competitive. Sprint workouts are among the most efficient methods for developing these essential abilities.
While various sprint workouts can be utilized, they should all focus on proper form, speed, and efficiency to ensure muscles are used correctly and minimize energy loss. Additionally, athletes should try to incorporate sprinting into intervals with rest periods or other activities to combine aerobic and anaerobic conditioning into a single workout session.
With consistent practice and proper technique, strength athletes can utilize sprint workouts as an efficient way to increase strength and power while also improving their overall physical condition.
