Programming options for sprints

Hi all, cruising right along with F1. A few distractions, like the CrossFit open, but I'm back on track now with F1 three times per week and h1 one two times per week. I would like to program in some sprints. My thought was to sprint two days per week, either on my two rest days or after my handstand practice. My question is in regards to progression. I have a 100 m hill by my house that's perfect for Hill sprints. No traffic.

My thought would be to add one sprint per training block and then Deload just like I would with my other movements, so that I would start with one Hillsprint and end up with 12 hill sprints at the end of my cycle.

This seems logical in theory, but I'm a little worried that by the end I might be totally fried, so would it make more sense to add one hill sprint every other week and end up with six total sprints per work out at the end of my next cycle?

In terms of goals, and why I want to do this, I like to feel like I'm in really good condition in terms of aerobic capacity, and secondly, I would like to burn a little bit more fat at an accelerated rate.

Since this is secondary to my gymnastics goals, maybe I should just use this piece and autoregulate when I drop it in and how intensely I use it.

My other thought, and here's where I'm conflicted, is that I'm just putting to much thought into this and I should just run sprints when I feel like I have the energy and stop before I feel winded.

Any help or suggestions from folks who have added sprinting to their training would be much appreciated! Thanks

Hi!

I really like sprint training too. I think that you can add sprints to your foundation and see how it affects your work capacity, recovery, etc. 

A few tips that I think that could be useful:

1. Sprint after Foundation Training. If you want to focus on F1 It is better to do it at the beguining. Some drills require that you are fresh so as to improve technique each workout.

2. If you want to use it for loose fat you want to produce acid lactic, increase your EPOC, and produce Growth Hormone so as to make your body a burning calorie machine after your workout. For get this:

- Volume: Sets from 15'' up to 2'.
- Intensity: Maximum for the volume.
- Rest: Recovery should be incomplete so as to produce acid lactic. 1:3 or 1:4 (1 min. of work, 3-4 min, of rest). There are more options but is a good start.
- Frequency: With F1 I would only do 2 day per week.

3. Nutrition. Focus on high quality food, right amounts, right supplements, etc.

4. Rest. You will need more sleep, meditation, or some relaxion techniques so as to improve your recovery.

5. Listen your Body. If you see that your F1 does not progress You may stop sprint training for being able to see how it affects your Foundation work.

Good Luck!

Great, thanks for the suggestions!

Nacho has some good points above.  twice per week is a good goal.  hill sprints are much less likely to injure you than flat sprints.  I would start with more than 1.  maybe do your progression on length of sprint instead of reps.  Do say 6 x 10" to start, then progress to 6 x 20".  then increase reps as tolerated.  15-20 reps would not be unusually hard, but you'll need to build up to that.  rest would be walk back down, then turn around and repeat.  Less rest (jog down) if you want more conditioning, more rest (2-5 mins.) if you want more power generation.

The references to 15" and 20" are for what, feet? Or seconds maybe? The hill is about 100m, but never measured...should I not sprint the whole thing?

depends how long it takes.  " = seconds.  I'm guessing a steep 100 m hill may take only 20-25 seconds. if that's the case go ahead and do the whole thing.

Nacho, what is your reasoning for wanting to produce lactic acid? Surely you know it does not cause fatigue or DOMS, but rather the byproducts that are associated with it?

For Bombadil, you must have full rests of ~3 minutes for the correct fibers to be recruited.

Awareness,  that is only true if training for power and speed, and not for conditioning.  I believe the OP was wanting to do this more for conditioning, and not for training to become faster, therefore he would use shorter rest periods, possibly even tabata like with 20 sec on, 10 sec off, etc.

Because there is research's evidence that says is very useful for losing fat. So taking this into account, the training has to be so as to produce the training effect you desire. It is true that It produce metabolites. You can also speed the metabolie's cleareance doing some light aerobic training 60% of Maximum Heart Rate for example, at the end of the training, for 15-20 minutes. However, like i said, it is important to listen to your body and see how this affects your foundation work.

bombadil said:

Hi all, cruising right along with F1. A few distractions, like the CrossFit open, but I'm back on track now with F1 three times per week and h1 one two times per week. I would like to program in some sprints. My thought was to sprint two days per week, either on my two rest days or after my handstand practice. My question is in regards to progression. I have a 100 m hill by my house that's perfect for Hill sprints. No traffic.

My thought would be to add one sprint per training block and then Deload just like I would with my other movements, so that I would start with one Hillsprint and end up with 12 hill sprints at the end of my cycle.

This seems logical in theory, but I'm a little worried that by the end I might be totally fried, so would it make more sense to add one hill sprint every other week and end up with six total sprints per work out at the end of my next cycle?

In terms of goals, and why I want to do this, I like to feel like I'm in really good condition in terms of aerobic capacity, and secondly, I would like to burn a little bit more fat at an accelerated rate.

Since this is secondary to my gymnastics goals, maybe I should just use this piece and autoregulate when I drop it in and how intensely I use it.

My other thought, and here's where I'm conflicted, is that I'm just putting to much thought into this and I should just run sprints when I feel like I have the energy and stop before I feel winded.

Any help or suggestions from folks who have added sprinting to their training would be much appreciated! Thanks

I dont think you need to break it down like you are.  Just Run.  Do as many as you can and how ever often you can.  Sprints will not take away from foundation.  

jwalker497 said:

I dont think you need to break it down like you are.  Just Run.  Do as many as you can and how ever often you can.  Sprints will not take away from foundation.  

Smart training always beats haphazard training.  I suggest an organized strategy for sprints as well.  I was doing them twice a week but have dropped to one after adding tumbling back.  I work acceleration drills, hill sprints, and 100m and 200m runs.  I run for pace rather which is about 80% of my max for 100m.  For 200m I run a bit less as I get the stamina up.

Right now my 100m pace is 14 seconds.  I did this 5 times yesterday.

Its one thing to refine a plan after you've implemented it, its another to plan around an idea you haven't yet implemented.  I'm not suggesting anything haphazard, I'm suggesting you base your plan of trial and error.  Once you do it a few times, you quickly will find out how much you can handle and how and where/when it fits into your overall fitness program.  You wont know unless you get out there and start doing it then tweak it. 

Nacho, can you please post your study and source for these claims? Thank you.

So as to increase the EPOC and produce Growth Hormone the workout should be Intense and with enough volume. It is difficult to get both if you don't produce lactic acid. Hence, the lactic acid is more a consequence for fat loose. The most important is increase EPOC and  the hormonal response.

http://www.translational-medicine.com/content/10/1/237

http://www.jssm.org/vol11/n3/17/v11n3-17pdf.pdf

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2730190/

http://www.hindawi.com/journals/jobe/2012/480467/

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/8028502

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23794400

http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/002604959190012L

http://link.springer.com/article/10.1007%2Fs00421-001-0568-y

In addition, there are very important coaches like Charles Poliquin, Nick Mitchell, who have a lot of experience and work with people looking for improve Body composition. Both of them use these HIT methods. They prefer High Intensity training and not Aerobic Training. It is not research'evidence but they have a lot of experience which sometimes may be more important.

I think I read Poloquin's analysis on one of those studies; I've also seen a few from McMaster University.  In listening to my body, I tend to favor very high out put with long rests.    

I haven't timed myself yet, but what my body seems to prefer is to sprint all out, then walk back down the hill.  I'm assuming it's close to 20 seconds ascending, then 90 seconds descending.  

I started with 3 sprints and feel pretty fatigued.  I'm planning to add one sprint per block.  

Not sure what I'll do, though, once I build to 10 sprints 3 x per week...maybe look for a bigger hill, or just run fast?  

Thanks for the input.