Why Sprint?

Maybe it’s to set a world record, from Usain Bolt to Ida Wheeling (at the age of 102!)

Maybe it’s to be able to get out of the way of inattentive drivers… texting laws notwithstanding, there are lots of those behind the wheel!

Or as time progresses, maybe it’s to help prevent falling, and the “sprint” means a Timed Get Up and Go test (10 feet, using any walking aids as necessary).

The point is, we do need to be able to really speed up sometimes.

Alleviating the Time Crunch

I get it – we all feel busy. We all have a hard time fitting “everything” into those same 24 hours. Sprints can truly shine by providing cardiovascular improvements without such an onerous commitment. McMaster researchers found that even a single minute of “very intense” exercise produces health benefits similar to longer, traditional endurance training.

Get Your Sprint On

As always, and especially if you have blood pressure or heart concerns, remember to warm up and cool down.

Some people get very technology and formula-oriented. Especially given that there is a significant variance in reliability, I personally am more of an RPE person.

Remember: the softer the surface, the happier the joints will be about this. (The lungs? Maybe not so much…)

In Vancouver, we are incredibly lucky to now have a publicly available rubberized track…And if you like the location, check out the Great Outdoors class that I run on Saturdays at 1 pm 😉

For another joint-friendly option, there are also a number of cedar chip trails throughout our parks.

Wrapping Up the Series

Next week, we’ll wrap up a series of 6 posts on aging well by including the last physical move that I feel we should be able to do, in some form, up until the week we die. I’ve chosen moves that I feel to be truly functional and also extremely easy to implement.

I started by proposing the dowel overhead squat to maintain mobility.

Regularly taking the stairs provides both cardio and functional leg strength.

Push and core strength are both well represented in that trusty staple, the pushup.

Bone density and agility are both shored up by something as easy as jumping or hopping.

To wrap it up, we’ll focus next on what is perhaps my favourite lift, the deadlift.

Stay in Touch

For help with programming any of this, please contact me!