Sprints vs. Long Distance Run

Hey guys,

How is it going? Midweek is here and I am two days away from the end of my second month. I can’t say that the week is going easy. I don’t know if it is the heat, the work stress (which is abundant this week) or may be my body is hitting a plateau, but I feel a bit heavy again. May be I am wrong… We will see in two days time.

My training is going well. Did upper body circuit yesterday and sprints today. Since it is getting closer to the race (just over 40 days to go!) I am now doing 3 road runs a week (Monday, Friday and Sunday), two weight training days (Tuesday & Thursday) and one sprints day (Wednesday).

I have to say… the less of the sprints work I do, the more difficult I find it to be. I mean, a month ago I used to run sprints three times a week. And while it was hard work all along, I never felt I couldn’t do it. In fact, I was feeling stronger after each session and was progressively increasing the speed of my sprints.

Since I started cutting the sprint work down and replacing it with endurance runs, I am petrified from my sprints day and honestly feel like I am going to die half way through.

Jeni, is that normal?

Melissa

Jeni:
Thanks, Mel! That’s quite an interesting subject, indeed…

Should you run sprints or long distance for maximum weight loss?

I am sure that if you googled the question you will find 1,000 opinions, each different to the next. Here is what I know for sure…

Between long distance jogging (treadmill or road) and sprinting, sprinting is the best way to achieve maximum fat loss....especially for those that are overweight and need to lose a lot of fat.

Look at long distance marathon runners and then look at sprinters, such as Usain Bolt. You see the difference? Long distance runners typically have small skinny physiques, and sprinters have very toned physiques.

Why? Sprinting maintains muscle while burning off a TON of fat. So you end up with a product (your body) that has very minimal fat and VERY toned muscle. Long distance running on the other hand does burn off fat, BUT, also burns off muscle.

What about joint problems? Many people suffer serious joint injuries (particularly knees) from long distance jogging. If you are overweight and need to lose a lot of fat, more than likely you either already have joint problems or you are prone to getting joint problems. This is yet another reason to opt for sprinting exercises over jogging for long periods of time.

So, with that said, spending an enormous amount of time on the treadmill is not going to work if you need maximum fat loss. Melissa, on the other hand, only has another 6kg to lose and is currently preparing to run a tough race (The Two Oceans) and therefore has to modify her training for the event.

Bottom line – both jogging and sprinting are better than no exercise, so whatever feels good and makes you happy – do it.

Ciao!

Jeni