Interval training , Hiit, sprints.

tom_tarbucket · 10-07-2014 01:25AM #1

Hello

I want to do some high intensity interval training via sprinting.

I have not done this before so obviously I need to start gently.

For a start, how does this sound ?

Do stretches and warm up first.

Then comes the sprinting

My understanding is I sprint as hard as I can but for how far, 50 yards or 100 yards ?

Then after this sprint, I simply walk back to where I started and repeat. Or do I jog back ?

And how many times should I repeat ?

Inspector Coptoor · 10-07-2014 02:45AM

50 yards or meters is plenty,

I do them like this:
Sprint up the hill
Walk back
Wait til your breathing has returned to normal
Go again

In your first session I'd say repeat 6 times.
Add on a sprint every session til you reach 10 sprints.

After that, instead of doing 10 single sprints, do 5 sets of 2 sprints as in:

Sprint, walk back, sprint again, walk back, rest, repeat

tom_tarbucket · 10-07-2014 09:26AM

Inspector Coptoor wrote: »

50 yards or meters is plenty,

I do them like this:
Sprint up the hill
Walk back
Wait til your breathing has returned to normal
Go again

In your first session I'd say repeat 6 times.
Add on a sprint every session til you reach 10 sprints.

After that, instead of doing 10 single sprints, do 5 sets of 2 sprints as in:

Sprint, walk back, sprint again, walk back, rest, repeat

excellent reply, thanks very much.

so is the difference between the single sprints and double sprints that I only take a rest after 2nd sprint, whereas first one has a rest after 1st sprint.

Alf Veedersane · 10-07-2014 09:48AM

You're shortening the rests between sprints.

If you're training for football or something, then an average sprint will be about 30m so you don't need to do more than 50m sprints.

Inspector Coptoor · 10-07-2014 10:30AM

tom_tarbucket wrote: »

excellent reply, thanks very much.

so is the difference between the single sprints and double sprints that I only take a rest after 2nd sprint, whereas first one has a rest after 1st sprint.

Yeah, that's it exactly.

Don't think I ever did more than 12 of these.

As you get better, you won't need as much rest.

If you can get up to 12 sprints total & do those in 3 sets of 4 repeats, you'll be a lot fitter.

The only thing you need to watch with hill sprints is your hip flexors, make sure you stretch the bejaysis out of them after the session.

shneakynaggin · 10-07-2014 11:09AM

Have a quick goo at this http: //www .t-nation.com/free_online_article/sports_body_training_performance/an_ez_guide_to_sprinting

tom_tarbucket · 10-07-2014 11:51AM

Inspector Coptoor wrote: »

Yeah, that's it exactly.

Don't think I ever did more than 12 of these.

As you get better, you won't need as much rest.

If you can get up to 12 sprints total & do those in 3 sets of 4 repeats, you'll be a lot fitter.

The only thing you need to watch with hill sprints is your hip flexors, make sure you stretch the bejaysis out of them after the session.

Thanks again, I think to start off I wont be doing them on a hill, ill do them on the flat first or ill be in bits otherwise

tom_tarbucket · 10-07-2014 12:03PM

Inspector Coptoor wrote: »

50 yards or meters is plenty,

I do them like this:
Sprint up the hill
Walk back
Wait til your breathing has returned to normal
Go again

In your first session I'd say repeat 6 times.
Add on a sprint every session til you reach 10 sprints.

After that, instead of doing 10 single sprints, do 5 sets of 2 sprints as in:

Sprint, walk back, sprint again, walk back, rest, repeat

Im kinda doing this just for overall fitness but with weight loss in mind, ive been watchin me diet lately and now will start this.

Is this a good way to loose the aul belly ?

Inspector Coptoor · 10-07-2014 12:15PM

Yes long as you're wTching you're diet, this will give you good bang for your buck as there will be a significant amount of "afterburn" of calories in your body IF you're sprinting with a high enough intensity.

If you're completely new to this, don't go full retard the first session and pull a hamstring - build up to it slowly & do a good dynamic warm up beforehand

tom_tarbucket · 10-07-2014 12:22PM

Inspector Coptoor wrote: »

Yes long as you're wTching you're diet, this will give you good bang for your buck as there will be a significant amount of "afterburn" of calories in your body IF you're sprinting with a high enough intensity.

If you're completely new to this, don't go full retard the first session and pull a hamstring - build up to it slowly & do a good dynamic warm up beforehand

I am completely new to this

sound, yeah, the first 2 or 3 sessions will be tame until I get used to this

ford2600 · 10-07-2014 03:00PM

tom_tarbucket wrote: »

I am completely new to this

sound, yeah, the first 2 or 3 sessions will be tame until I get used to this

I do stupid amounts of cycling now, but used to play field sports to a decent level.

A lot of guys used to damage hamstrings sprinting.

Educate yoursel on good warm up routine.
Don't go straight from a sedentary day in office or car to sprinting.

Get a proper after workout stretching routine.

Enjoy the high that comes afterwards!

Insect Overlord · 10-07-2014 03:37PM

ford2600 wrote: »

I do stupid amounts of cycling now, but used to play field sports to a decent level.

A lot of guys used to damage hamstrings sprinting.

Educate yoursel on good warm up routine.
Don't go straight from a sedentary day in office or car to sprinting.

Get a proper after workout stretching routine.

Enjoy the high that comes afterwards!

Would you be able to recommend a basic warm-up/stretch routine? I did a few hill sprints last week after running for 8 km and walking for 1 km. I know I was well warmed up, but I reckon I probably should have done a few stretches too.

Hanley · 10-07-2014 05:21PM

Inspector Coptoor wrote: »

50 yards or meters is plenty,

I do them like this:
Sprint up the hill
Walk back
Wait til your breathing has returned to normal
Go again

In your first session I'd say repeat 6 times.
Add on a sprint every session til you reach 10 sprints.

After that, instead of doing 10 single sprints, do 5 sets of 2 sprints as in:

Sprint, walk back, sprint again, walk back, rest, repeat

That's a cool little pyramid.

Tok · 11-07-2014 11:42AM

A follow up question on this as I am in the same boat as Tom. Is it better to sprint for time or distance? Some articles I found says distance (i.e. run 100 meters, or row 150 meters) while others say sprint for 30 seconds.

Is there really any difference in the outcome?

Inspector Coptoor · 11-07-2014 11:46AM

Id say distance.
Have a set distance of say 30-50m

Do it a few times and get used to it.
Then you could start timing it and see how quickly you cover the distance and I you're improving,

Much harder to sprint for 30s and then measure the distance travelled.

So to summarize, it's easier to assess the distance and it gives you a line or a mark on the ground to aim for.

Alf Veedersane · 11-07-2014 12:14PM

If you have a fixed distance it's easy to measure the time it took. Sprinting for time it's not easy to see where you are in relation to previous efforts.

I use the floodlights along the pitch as markers because I know they're 40m apart and there's 4 in a row. But using a couple of your own markers 30-50m apart will be just ax effective, as IC said.

A Greedy Algorithm · 11-07-2014 01:17PM

I use a soccer pitch for HIIT.

I vary my sprint/rest times to keep it interesting. For example i sprint the length of the field and jog back - repeat until i am shattered.

Another variation is to sprint the 2 widths of the pitch and jog/walk the lengths. Its seems easy but after 4-5 laps i really start to feel it but my fitness has greatly improved, i love it.

tom_tarbucket · 16-07-2014 10:29PM

Inspector Coptoor wrote: »

50 yards or meters is plenty,

I do them like this:
Sprint up the hill
Walk back
Wait til your breathing has returned to normal
Go again

In your first session I'd say repeat 6 times.

I did this for the first time this evening, on the flat , not on a hill.
Was fairly out of breath after it, and need to get my sprinting technique fully correct.

I found that I had it all done in about 6 or 7 minutes, does that sound right !?

Inspector Coptoor · 16-07-2014 10:32PM

It'd take me a bit more than that but that cause the hills just make bits of you.

Good work.

As you get better at moving faster it'll take more out of you & you'll need a bit more recovery time.

tom_tarbucket · 16-07-2014 10:34PM

Inspector Coptoor wrote: »

It'd take me a bit more than that but that cause the hills just make bits of you.

Good work.

As you get better at moving faster it'll take more out of you & you'll need a bit more recovery time.

Thanks

Now that you are versed in this, how long does your sprint routine take ?

Inspector Coptoor · 16-07-2014 10:48PM

20 mins for 10 x 50m hill sprints excluding warm up/stretch after

Brian · 16-07-2014 11:53PM

Here's a detailed discussion about the effects of HIIT for anyone interested.

Main program suggested is:

2 min warm up
30 seconds on, 90 seconds off x8
2 min warm down

3 days a week.

tom_tarbucket · 17-07-2014 08:07AM

Thanks all.

So essentially the actual HIIT sprinting stuff is a over in about 16 minutes !!

Not bad seeing as I used to run for an hour. 1/3 of the time.

Alf Veedersane · 17-07-2014 08:21AM

tom_tarbucket wrote: »

Thanks all.

So essentially the actual HIIT sprinting stuff is a over in about 16 minutes !!

Not bad seeing as I used to run for an hour. 1/3 of the time.

I wouldn't compare it to what you used to run.

If I covered the same distance doing intervals and the same doing a run, I'd be a lot more knackered after the intervals.

The intervals were different - 2 mins all out, 1 minute walk, 90s all out, 45 s walk, 60s all out, 30s walk then start back the next circuit of 2 mins all out after only the 30s rest (walk). I was banjoed after doing that over a 4k route I'd have run at a constant pace handy enough.

It's a tough 16 mins but good bang for your buck.

17-07-2014 09:25AM

Oh that's an interesting way of doing it
I might try that next time

Mine's been 30s now since I upped the incline but I am able to push it more again so I might try yours and leave the incline at 7

Alf Veedersane · 17-07-2014 09:35AM

I suppose there are a million annd one different ways of doing it. I just found it a nice variation from 1 min hard, 1 min rest repeatedly because of the change in distances and rests.

After the second round, the 2 mins after 30s walking is a killer.

17-07-2014 09:37AM

yeah mixing it up is why it's interesting

conzy · 17-07-2014 12:34PM

50 yards or meters is plenty,

I do them like this:
Sprint up the hill
Walk back
Wait til your breathing has returned to normal
Go again

In your first session I'd say repeat 6 times.

Did this on Saturday afternoon, body is just about over it today. Had DOMS where I never had before

tom_tarbucket · 17-07-2014 01:34PM

conzy wrote: »

Did this on Saturday afternoon, body is just about over it today. Had DOMS where I never had before

So you did it on a hill yeah ?
How long did it take ya to do ?

conzy · 17-07-2014 04:13PM

Up a hill yeah. It took a bit longer than I thought it would. Maybe 12 minutes?

GiftofGab · 18-07-2014 01:27PM

When I was playing rugby in Australia we used to have to do 20x100m sprints at the start of training. You had about 15 seconds rest between sprints. Hell on earth.

By the time you hit 15 you are basically at a jogging pace. You even lose count of how many you have done you are so tired.

Interval training , Hiit, sprints.

Comments