Get It Up, Your Heart Rate, That Is: Sprint Intervals at the Track

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Get It Up, Your Heart Rate, That Is: Sprint Intervals at the Track

June 11, 2009

Interval training is key for torching calories and increasing your speed. Intervals are tough, but they work your body and prepare you well for the races ahead — it is racing season, after all.

Even if you don't like to race, intervals are a great way to add spark to your running routine and help you move past a weight-loss plateau. I wish I could say that I love this workout, but that would be a lie. Just ask my running buddy to tell you how I curse when doing this interval sprint. I can, however, easily admit that I love how I feel afterward, and I love that I burn over 450 calories while doing it.

To see the workout, read more.

This interval training involves sprinting, so run as fast as you can. But this workout can be a little confusing, so before you start, mentally divide the track into four equal quarters since you will be running 100-yard sprints at different points around the track. This is not a beginner workout and you should have a strong running/aerobic fitness level before doing this workout.

Warmup
Four slow laps around the track
Dynamic warmup

20 high-knee marching steps
20 booty kicks
Skip 20 steps
Skip with kick 20 steps
20 heel walks
20 toe walks

Intervals
Jog 400 yards (one lap at most tracks)
Sprint 100 yards
Recover* 400 yards
Sprint 100 yards
Recover 300 yards
Sprint 100 yards
Recover 200 yards
Sprint 100 yards
Recover 100 yards
Sprint 100 yards
Recover 400 to 800 yards

Repeat workout one more time!

Cooldown
Jog two laps
Stretch

*You can walk or jog slowly during the recovery period

Try the workout and let me know what you think. Running intervals like this has definitely made my steady-paced, longer runs feel dreamy.

Source

14 Comments

3 years

I want to add sprints to my outdoor run. Should I avoid uphills when beginning or use strict intervals such as the plan suggested, no matter the terrain?

darc5204 4 years

Haha, Jessy. This actually looks like a high school track workout to me. Not that it's a bad thing.

LOVErickii 4 years

i'll save this for when i'm a little fitter, going to work on getting the EA Sports Active since this snap Sydney winter has severely halted my new found enthusiasm for exercise!!

jessy777 4 years

I haven't run on a track since high school Too many days of suicide miles and bleachers that made me want to cry traumatized me. I will have to try this out because I am looking to over haul my workout plan.

4 years

zulkey, i actually prefer doing intervals on a treadmill. warm up for 5 minutes, then sprint (i do at a 10.0) for 1 minute, then walk (i do a 3.7) for 2 minutes. repeat 7 times, for 8 total sprints. should be about a half hour.

sugarfan 4 years

I'm on week four of interval training and it is really helping with my speed and strength. It's a quick but not-so-easy workout that really pays off.

Asche 4 years

ahh Zulkey, I misunderstood! sorry :)

kia 4 years

I love interval training! On the track or in the pool. It seems like it sucks at the moment, but it feels so good when it is done.

tlsgirl 4 years

Fit - I just have to say that I totally love how real you are with your readers. It's always nice to know that sometimes I'm not the only one cursing after a hard workout!

Zulkey 4 years

oh, I do run outside plenty but I don't have a track nearby with which to really accurately gauge my distance--I think this workout sounds like it needs to be somewhere where you can judge such things? Maybe I'm wrong.

Asche 4 years

THanks Fit! I've been looking for a good track workout. @Zulkey: If it's possible for you, I would try to run outside when possible. Maybe Fit will disagree with me, but I think running on a treadmill is much easier than running outdoors. I used to run on a treadmill, but then when I would run outside I couldn't figure out why I had no endurance. I realized that I had been relying on a machine to set my pace, so when I would run on my own I would simply give up much faster. I experimented with a running schedule, like the one posted earlier this week http://www.fitsugar.com/3252493, and it really changed my life. I'm in MUCH better shape than when I trained indoors, and I find that running outdoors helps me to hit weight loss plateaus less frequently.

Zulkey 4 years

if there's a way to replicate it on the treadmill I might try it (as long as it's not something that's too confusing!) I ran my first 5K this weekend and am interested in finding new ways to challenge myself now.