Conditioning effects of sprinting.

[Hriliu999]

In Swolecat's recent squat thread he alludes to the importance of a conditioning as vital to continued development. Whilst high rep squating is frequently cited as a powerful stimulant of the body's natural anabolic hormones and as an effective overall conditioning exercise, surely sprinting must be equivalent, if not superior, in this regard.

Speaking for myself, it wasn't until I started sprinting (100m, 200m, 400m) that my body really started to develop. Although I initially toyed with sprints primarily for fat loss, the increased development in my hamstrings, not to mention my shoulders, back and arms, makes me think that some sort of systemic knock on effect is at play; an often toted goal of higher rep squating.

I would be interested to here if anyone else could report similar claims in regard to sprints, squats, deadlifts or gpp-type workouts.

Hriliu999.

[decadbal]

havnt ever tried it.. id like to know more also

[Hriliu999]

For your own reference, Christian Thibadeau (I hope that's how you spell his name) wrote an article for t-nation titled 'Running Man,' in which he describes a number of sprint/interval protocols. The most severe option was repetition 400s which he had used on professional hockey players in pre-season. Thibadeua states his athletes would typically lose fat whilst adding muscular body weight using this method. Have a look and see what you think.

[diponyou]

cool man i jus started running also and im hoping for some similar results.im mainly running so i can make it in the airforce but now knowing it will help me gain size im gonna stick wit it

[Hriliu999]

diponyou, not sure what the specific requirements for airforce entry are but if you are considering running sprint intervals as part of your program make sure you have adequate nutrition and recovery strategies in place to garner the appropriate benefits. Sprint workouts, particularly the 400s, are sickeningly brutal and should be more or less treated as an exhaustive leg workout. That said, the rapid increase in conditioning is well worth it.

[Giantz11]

Sprinting is high intensity excercise just like weight training so the hormonal response will be very alike. With also the added benefits of cardiovascular conditioning as well as increased VO2 max.