NOVICE SPRINT WORKOUT
Workout 1
6 x 50 meter warmup runs at moderate effort, fo-
cusing on maintaining an efficient stride pattern.
20 second rest period between strides. Focus on
good running form and don’t worry about your
speed. This is just a warmup for your sprint ef-
forts. After your warmup strides, commence 6 x
50 meter sprints (they should take 8–15 seconds
each) at 75% effort. Take a one-minute rest period
between sprints or otherwise enough to be fully
recovered and achieve normal respiration before
beginning your next sprint. After two to three ses-
sions over a few weeks time, increase your sprint
efforts to full speed. Use a moving start (jog up to
starting line and then begin sprinting) instead of
a static start to minimize injury risk. Pay attention
to the difference between leg fatigue and pain. If
you experience any acute pain or tightness, par-
ticularly in your hamstrings, wrap up the workout
immediately with an easy cool down and ice the
offended area.
INTERMEDIATE SPRINT WORKOUTS
Workout 1
6 x 50 meter warmup strides followed by 6 x 50
meter sprints as described previously, building to
100% effort when appropriate.
Sprint Workout Suggestions
Workout 2 – Hill Repeats
6–8x hill sprint lasting 8–30 seconds. Recover by
walking or trotting down the hill. Return to normal
breathing before beginning next effort. Sprinting
uphill is a great workout that stimulates slightly dif-
ferent muscle groups than flat running, and carries
far less impact trauma. Choose a duration (e.g. 10,
20, or 30 seconds) and take note of how far you
make it uphill during your timed effort. For an ef-
fective workout, you should reach the same spot at
every effort, but of course require more effort for the
last one than the first. You don’t want to disperse
too much energy in early sprints and then fall apart
during the later sprints. When you repeat the work-
out at the same location and same effort duration in
the future, you can notice how far you make it up the
hill and gauge your fitness progress accordingly.Workout 3 – Accelerations
6–8 x 30 second sprints with the first ten seconds
at medium effort, second ten seconds at hard effort
and third ten seconds at full sprint. One minute re-
covery between efforts. You can use a running track
and do 150 meter repeats—accelerating every 50
meters (start at turn apex, accelerate at straight-
away, accelerate again at middle of straightaway,
finish at traditional finish line) or any other course
you can mark with 1/3 distance intervals.68