Run Less & Be Faster

A study published in the Journal of Applied Physiology found dramatic increases in performance for endurance runners who reduced their weekly training volume by 25% and supplemented three to four days of sprint training into their running programs. The study, performed by the University of Copenhagen in Denmark, prescribed sessions of six to twelve thirty second sprint intervals three to four times a week as a part of the endurance runners weekly training regimen. In a six to nine week period, the group saw an improvement of 7% in their thirty second sprint test and a 36% improvement in their two minute supramaximal exhaustive run test. While the percentages are encouraging, you endurance athletes may be more impressed to know the study revealed an average of about one minute was dropped from the group's 10km run from 37.3 to 36.3 minutes. One participant saw a two minute improvement in their 10km time over the course of the study with the use of sprint interval training!

This study yet again proves the important of sprint interval training not only in general fitness routines, but also in endurance training regimens. Sprint training and anaerobic conditioning should be a staple in all forms of athletic conditioning. Although anaerobic conditioning seems fit to mostly benefit explosive sports such as football, basketball, volleyball and soccer, training the body to work more efficiently and for longer periods without oxygen as the main source of energy greatly benefits the endurance athlete. Here are some basics on anaerobic conditioning:

- Duration of program can last anywhere from six to twelve weeks
- Frequency of training is two to four times a week
- Distances ranging from ten to four hundred meters
- Intensity will be maximal or near maximal, short, explosive bouts
- Short bursts lasting up to three minutes of maximal/near maximal effort with recovery of two to six times the length of bout
- Requires no initial oxygen

Journal of Applied Physiology Abstract