If you are looking to improve your running speed but are a little bit nervous about speedwork, then this Dirty Thirties Sprinting Workout is definitely worth a try. Sprinting, even for short periods of time, improves your leg speed, cadence and power. Therefore, in order to become a faster runner, you should add a weekly sprint workout to your routine.

Not only that, but sprinting workouts also improve your metabolism even after your workout is officially done.

The best part about sprinting is that it burns a relatively large amount of calories in a relatively short time. Furthermore, a sprint workout, when done properly, can be a lot of fun.

Let's take a closer look at how you can use your Gymboss running timer for a fun, challenging and quick sprinting workout that will take your running to the next level when you do it consistently.

Before you begin this workout, it is important to do a slow warm-up jog for 10 to 15 minutes. Warming up before a sprinting workout will mentally and physically prepare your body for exercise as well as help you prevent injuries. Additionally, an adequate warm up before a sprinting workout will help deliver blood to your working muscles.

If you have been sitting down all day and decide to sprint as fast as you can without doing a warm-up, you increase your risk of injuries, such as pulling or straining a muscle in your leg.  In particular, if you bust right out of the gate, you may end up pulling a hamstring or a quad. If that happens, then unfortunately, you would have to take some time off running to let it heal, which would mean that you would have to take a step back in your running journey.

After you do your 10 to 15-minute warm-up jog, you should do some A, B, and C drills (example -https://runningmagazine.ca/sections/training/drills-every-runner-should-do/) followed by a few stretches.

In order to do this workout, set your Gymboss timer for 6-12 intervals (depending on where you are in plan below) of 30 seconds of sprinting followed by 30 seconds of rest. You can choose how many intervals to do based on your fitness level and how comfortable you are with sprinting.

 

Dirty Thirties Sprinting Workout Outline (6 week progression plan)

Warm-up, drills and stretching should always be done for the first 15 minutes in order to prepare your body for this sprinting workout. As previously mentioned, this workout should only be done once or maybe twice per week because although it's short, it's intense. Doing sprint workouts too frequently may put you at risk for injuries, which means that you should give yourself at least 48 hours between each sprint workout.

Week 1:

If you haven't done a sprint workout before, then you should do this workout only once in order to get your body used to sprinting.

• Sprint for 30 seconds as fast as you can and then rest for 30 seconds. Repeat this sequence 6 times using your timer.

Week 2:

Building upon week 1, you may add one or two more intervals to your workout.

• Sprint for 30 seconds as fast as you can and then rest for 30 seconds. Repeat this sequence 7 or 8 times using your Gymboss running timer.

Week 3:

Building upon the two previous weeks, add one or two more intervals to your workout.

• Sprint for 30 seconds as fast as you can and then rest for 30 seconds. Repeat this sequence 8 to 10 times using your timer.

Week 4:

Building upon the three previous weeks, add one or two more intervals to your workout.

• Sprint for 30 seconds as fast as you can and then rest for 30 seconds. Repeat this sequence 10 to 12 times using your Gymboss running timer.

Week 5:

Now that you are comfortable with 12 sprint intervals, you can increase the frequency of your sprint workouts to twice a week. However, if you are increasing the frequency, you should temporarily decrease the duration so you don't run the risk of overtraining.

• Sprint for 30 seconds as fast as you can and then rest for 30 seconds. Repeat this sequence for 7 or 8 times per session. Do two sessions per week with at least 48 hours between each session.

Week 6:

Building upon week 5, you should be able to increase the duration of the sprint workout by adding one or two more intervals to your workout.

• Sprint for 30 seconds as fast as you can and then rest for 30 seconds. Repeat this sequence for 8 or 9 times per session. Once again, do two sessions per week with at least 48 hours between each session.

Keep in mind that as you progress, it is important to listen to your body and adjust your intensity and duration accordingly. Ideally, you should be able to gradually increase the intensity and duration without any problems.

We hope that you enjoy this 6 week sprinting plan and that you are able to use it to spice up your routine.