All You Need To Know About Sprinting And Its Health Benefits

Sprinting is an exercise which involves running at a fast pace over a short distance. It is an exercise which is known as one of the most powerful physique-shaping exercises. A variety of muscles are involved in sprinting. The exercise helps one achieve a lean body. The exercise has many health benefits which makes celebrity nutritionist Rujuta Diwekar swear by it as well. In one of her posts on Facebook, she says that we all must sprint at least once a week. She mentions that sprinting regularly helps in training the under-used muscles in legs and glutes. Using these muscles will ultimately lead to a flatter stomach. 

1. It helps in quick burning of fat

People on a weight loss regime must include sprint interval training in their fitness regime. Sprinting works in a way that it increases body's aerobic capacity while decreasing body fat and increases the running speed. It is a high intensity workout which quickly reduces the fat under the skin. Sprinting is an effective exercise for burning the most tedious abdominal fat as well.

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2. Sprinting gives a boost to your mood

Sprinting requires a lot of energy to be done. Doing sprinting effectively, with the right technique is known to release happiness hormones endorphins in the blood stream. The exercise is thus particularly helpful for people suffering from depression and anxiety. The exercise can be done anytime, anywhere. The exercise is cost-effective and is by and large a natural movement for humans.

3. It increases muscle strength

A study conducted in 2012 says that doing sprints for 30 seconds over a period of 20 minutes can enhance the pathways of protein synthesis in the body. Enhanced pathways of protein synthesis enable build-up of muscles. This further leads to a leaner body. A lean body can sprint faster and for a much longer time. Build-up of muscles is helpful in losing fat as muscles play the role of using energy even when the body is at rest.

4. Effectiveness of sprinting is similar to that of endurance training

Research says that sprinting is as effective as endurance training. The exercise is time effective as well. Sprint interval training is known to improve oxidative capacity of muscles and improve cardiac functioning of the body. Muscles become more efficient with regular sprinting.

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5. It improves metabolism

Sprinting improves metabolism and reduces your risk of conditions like diabetes and stroke. Studies say that sprinting improves insulin sensitivity and burns fat even when the body is resting. Sprinting has also shown to reduce waist circumference effectively.

6. Sprinting improves insulin sensitivity

Sprinting is known to be helpful in improving insulin sensitivity. This proves to be beneficial advantage for people who fall short of enough time to exercise effectively and have disorders related to high blood glucose.

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Things to be kept in mind

1. People who are perfectly healthy should definitely go for a sprint. But it is important to be well prepared before you go ahead with it. People with week knees, arthritis, excessive body weight or those with cardiac issues should avoid sprinting. Take up sprinting after consulting your doctor.

2. Jog for a few minutes before you increase your speed and continue for 10 to 20 minutes of dynamic stretching. Start with shorter distance in the beginning and do not begin with full intensity. Use only 70% of your intensity initially.
 

4. Take rest of at least 2 to 5 minutes between sprints. Remember, the priority is to learn the technique properly. If you experience pain while sprinting, it means that you need to improve your warm-up.

5. After completing your sprinting session, make sure that you allow your body to cool down and come back to normal temperatures. Walk or jog slowly for a while before sitting. This prevents muscle cramps and pains.

6. Rujuta suggests that you should do sprinting once a week to be healthy. But in order to keep your body prepared for a run, sprinting twice or thrice can be helpful. 

Disclaimer: This content including advice provides generic information only. It is in no way a substitute for qualified medical opinion. Always consult a specialist or your own doctor for more information. NDTV does not claim responsibility for this information.